Leishmania antigens for use in the therapy and diagnosis of leishmaniasis

ABSTRACT

Compositions and methods for preventing, treating and detecting leishmaniasis and stimulating immune responses in patients are disclosed. The compounds provided include polypeptides that contain at least an immunogenic portion of one or more Leishmania antigens, or a variant thereof. Vaccines and pharmaceutical compositions comprising such polypeptides, or polynucleotides encoding such polypeptides, are also provided and may be used, for example, for the prevention and therapy of leishmaniasis, as well as for the detection of Leishmania infection.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/183,861, filed Oct. 30, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 6,365,165 which is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/022,765, filed Feb. 12, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,955 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/920,609, filed Aug. 27, 1997, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/798,841, filed Feb. 12, 1997, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/533,669, filed Sep. 22, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,592.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to compositions and methods for preventing, treating and detecting leishmaniasis, and for stimulating immune responses in patients. The invention is more particularly related to polypeptides comprising an immunogenic portion of a Leishmania antigen or a variant thereof, and to vaccines and pharmaceutical compositions comprising one or more such polypeptides. The vaccines and pharmaceutical compositions may be used, for example, for the prevention and therapy of leishmaniasis, as well as for the detection of Leishmania infection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Leishmania organisms are intracellular protozoan parasites of macrophages that cause a wide range of clinical diseases in humans and domestic animals, primarily dogs. In some infections, the parasite may lie dormant for many years. In other cases, the host may develop one of a variety of forms of leishmaniasis. For example, the disease may be asymptomatic or may be manifested as subclinical visceral leishmaniasis, which is characterized by mild symptoms of malaise, diarrhea and intermittent hepatomegaly. Patients with subclinical or asymptomatic disease usually have low antibody titers, making Patients with subclinical or asymptomatic disease usually have low antibody titers, making the disease difficult to detect with standard techniques. Alternatively, leishmaniasis may be manifested as a cutaneous disease, which is a severe medical problem but is generally self-limiting, or as a highly destructive mucosal disease, which is not self-limiting. Finally, and most seriously, the disease may be manifested as an acute visceral infection involving the spleen, liver and lymph nodes, which, untreated, is generally a fatal disease. Symptoms of acute visceral leishmaniasis include hepatosplenomegaly, fever, leukopenia, anemia and hypergammaglobulinemia.

Leishmaniasis is a serious problem in much of the world, including Brazil, China, East Africa, India and areas of the Middle East. The disease is also endemic in the Mediterranean region, including southern France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and North Africa. The number of cases of leishmaniasis has increased dramatically in the last 20 years, and millions of cases of this disease now exist worldwide. About 2 million new cases are diagnosed each year, 25% of which are visceral leishmaniasis. There are, however, no vaccines or effective treatments currently available.

Accurate diagnosis of leishmaniasis is frequently difficult to achieve. There are 20 species of Leishmania that infect humans, including L. donovani, L. chagasi, L. infantum, L. major, L. amazonensis, L. braziliensis, L. panamensis, L. mexicana, L. tropica, and L. guyanensis, and there are no distinctive signs or symptoms that unambiguously indicate the presence of Leishmania infection. Parasite detection methods have been used, but such methods are neither sensitive nor clinically practical. Current skin tests typically use whole or lysed parasites. Such tests are generally insensitive, irreproducible and prone to cross-reaction with a variety of other diseases. In addition, the preparations employed in such tests are often unstable. Thus, there is a need for improved methods for the detection of Leishmania infection.

Current experimental vaccines consisting of whole organisms have not proven effective in humans. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for vaccines to prevent leishmaniasis in humans and dogs, and for improved therapeutic compositions for the treatment of leishmaniasis.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly stated, the present invention provides compositions and methods for preventing, treating and detecting leishmaniasis, as well as for stimulating immune responses in patients. In one aspect, polypeptides are provided which comprise at least an immunogenic portion of a Leishmania antigen, or a variant of such an antigen that differs only in conservative substitutions and/or modifications. In specific embodiments of the invention, the Leishmania antigen comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 20, 22, 24, 26, 36-38, 41, 50-53 and 82. DNA sequences encoding the above polypeptides, recombinant expression vectors comprising these DNA sequences and host cells transformed or transfected with such expression vectors are also provided.

In further aspects, the present invention provides fusion proteins comprising Leishmania antigens, together with polynucleotides encoding such fusion proteins. In certain specific embodiments, such fusion proteins comprise an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 95, 96 and 97.

In related aspects, the present invention provides pharmaceutical compositions which comprise one or more of the polypeptides and/or fusion proteins described herein, or a polynucleotide encoding such polypeptides and fusion proteins, and a physiologically acceptable carrier. Vaccines which comprise one or more such polypeptides, fusion proteins or polynucleotides, together with an immunostimulant are also provided. In specific embodiments of these aspects, the Leishmania antigen has an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 20, 22, 24, 26, 36-38, 41, 50-53 and 82.

In still further related embodiments, the pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines comprise at least two different polypeptides, each polypeptide comprising an immunogenic portion of a Leishmania antigen having an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of sequences recited in SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 20, 22, 24, 26, 36-38, 41, 50-53, 82, and variants thereof that differ only in conservative substitutions and/or modifications. In other embodiments, the inventive pharmaceutical compositions comprise one or more of the inventive polypeptides in combination with a known Leishmania antigen.

In yet other related embodiments, the pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines comprise soluble Leishmania antigens.

In another aspect, the present invention provides methods for inducing protective immunity against leishmaniasis in a patient, comprising administering to a patient a pharmaceutical composition or vaccine as described above.

In further aspects, methods and diagnostic kits are provided for detecting Leishmania infection in a patient. The methods comprise: (a) contacting dermal cells of a patient with a pharmaceutical composition as described above; and (b) detecting an immune response on the patient's skin, therefrom detecting Leishmania infection in the patient. The diagnostic kits comprise: (a) a pharmaceutical composition as described above; and (b) an apparatus sufficient to contact the pharmaceutical composition with the dermal cells of a patient.

In further aspects, the present invention provides methods for stimulating a cellular and/or humoral immune response in a patient, comprising administering to a patient a pharmaceutical composition or vaccine as described above.

In a related aspect, methods are provided for treating a patient afflicted with a disease responsive to IL-12 stimulation, comprising administering to a patient a pharmaceutical composition or vaccine as described above.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description and attached drawings. All references disclosed herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if each was incorporated individually.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the stimulation of proliferation of T-cells obtained from L. donovani-immunized BALB/c mice (represented by stimulation index) by L. donovani-infected macrophages after incubation for 24, 48 and 72 hours.

FIG. 2 illustrates representative HPLC profiles of peptides isolated from MHC class II molecules of P388D1 macrophages. Panel A shows peptides isolated from uninfected macrophages and panel B shows peptides isolated from L. donovani infected macrophages. The arrows in panel B indicate peptide peaks present only in the infected macrophage preparation.

FIG. 3 illustrates the expression and purification of the Leishmania antigen Ldp23 as a recombinant fusion protein. Panel A shows a Coomassie blue-stained SDS-PAGE gel of lysed E. coli without (lane 1) and with (lane 2) IPTG induction of Ldp23 expression. Arrow indicates the recombinant fusion protein. Panel B shows the fusion protein following excision from a preparative SDS-PAGE gel, electroelution, dialysis against PBS and analytical SDS-PAGE.

FIG. 4 presents a Northern blot analysis of total RNA prepared from L. donovani, L. major, L. amazonensis and L. pifanoi with a ³²P labeled Ldp23 gene. 1, 2 and 3 refer to RNA obtained from promastigotes at the logarithmic growth phase, promastigotes at the stationary growth phase and amastigote forms, respectively.

FIG. 5 shows a Western blot analysis of L. donovani promastigote antigens incubated with pre-immune rabbit serum (lane A) or with anti-Ldp23 rabbit antiserum (lane B).

FIG. 6 illustrates the surface expression of Ldp23 on live L. donovani promastigotes. The dotted line shows the indirect immunofluorescence performed using pre-immune mouse serum and the solid line shows the result obtained with mouse anti-GST-Ldp23 antiserum. Fluorescence intensity was analyzed by FACScan.

FIG. 7 shows the stimulation of Leishmania-specific T-cell proliferation by Ldp23. The results are presented as relative cell number as a function of fluorescence intensity. T-cells (10⁵/well) were purified from lymph nodes of BALB/c mice immunized in the foot pad with L. donovani promastigotes in CFA and were cultured with various concentrations of the purified recombinant Ldp23 in the presence of 2×10⁵ Mitomycin C-treated normal BALB/c spleen mononuclear cells. Proliferation of T-cells was measured at 27 hours of culture. Values are expressed as cpm and represent the mean of [³H]TdR incorporation of triplicate cultures.

FIG. 8 illustrates Ldp23-induced cytokine production by lymph node cells of BALB/c mice. Cultures were incubated with varying amounts of Ldp23 or Leishmania lysate, presented as μg/mL, and were assayed by ELISA for the production of interferon-γ (panel A) or interleukin-4 (panel B), both of which are shown as ng/mL.

FIG. 9 shows the PCR amplification of cytokine mRNAs isolated from mucosal leishmaniasis (Panel A) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (panel B) patient PBMC before and after stimulation with representative polypeptides of the present invention. Lanes O and—indicate the level of PCR products at the initiation of culture and after 72 hours of culture, respectively, in the absence of added polypeptide; lanes Lb, 83a and 83b indicate the level of PCR products following culturing of PBMC with L. braziliensis lysate, and the Leishmania antigens Lbhsp83a and Lbhsp83b, respectively.

FIG. 10 presents a comparison of the levels of interferon-γ (panel A) and TNF-α (panel B) in the supernatants of 72 hour PBMC cultures from Leishmania-infected and control individuals in response to stimulation with parasite lysate or the indicated polypeptides.

FIG. 11 illustrates the levels of IL-10p40 (in pg/mL) in the supernatant of PBMC cultures from L. braziliensis-infected individuals and uninfected controls 72 hours following stimulation with parasite promastigote lysate (Lb), Lbhsp83a or Lbhsp83b.

FIG. 12 presents the reactivities of sera from L. braziliensis infected-patients with representative polypeptides of the present invention in a standard ELISA. Values are expressed as absorbance at 405 nm.

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate the level of secreted IL-4 and IFN-γ (in pg/mL) stimulated in mouse lymph node cultures by the addition of representative polypeptides of the present invention.

FIG. 14 shows the level of IFN-γ (in pg/mL) secreted by Leishmania-infected and uninfected human PBMC stimulated by the Leishmania antigen M15, as compared to the levels stimulated by L. major lysate and L-Rack, an antigen that does not appear to be recognized by Leishmania-infected humans.

FIG. 15 shows the level of IFN-γ (in pg/mL) secreted by infected and uninfected human PBMC stimulated by soluble Leishmania antigens (S antigens), as compared to the levels stimulated by L. major lysate and L-Rack.

FIG. 16 illustrates the proliferation of murine lymph node cultures stimulated by the addition of representative polypeptides of the present invention. Values are expressed as cpm.

FIG. 17 shows the proliferation of human PBMC, prepared from Leishmania-immune and uninfected individuals, stimulated by M15 as compared to the proliferation stimulated by L. major lysate and L-Rack. Values are expressed as cpm.

FIG. 18 illustrates the proliferation of human PBMC, prepared from Leishmania-infected and uninfected individuals, stimulated by soluble Leishmania antigens as compared to the proliferation stimulated by culture medium, L. major lysate and L-Rack. Values are expressed as cpm.

FIG. 19 presents a comparison of a Lbhsp83 sequence (SEQ ID NO:6) with homologous sequences from L. amazonensis (Lahsp83) (SEQ ID NO:16), T. cruzi (Tchsp83) (SEQ ID NO:17) and humans (Huhsp89) (SEQ ID NO:18).

FIG. 20 illustrates the reactivity of rabbit sera raised against soluble Leishmania antigens with Leishmania promastigote lysate (lane 1) and soluble Leishmania antigens (lane 2).

FIG. 21 shows the cDNA and predicted amino acid sequence for the Leishmania antigen Lmsp1a.

FIG. 22 shows a Southern blot of genomic DNA from L. major digested with a panel of restriction enzymes (lanes 1 to 7) and six other Leishmania species digested with PstI (lanes 8 to 13) probed with the full-length cDNA insert of Lmsp1a.

FIG. 23 shows a Southern blot of genomic DNA from L. major digested with a panel of restriction enzymes, six other Leishmania species digested with PstI and the infectious pathogens T. cruzi and T. brucei, probed with the full-length cDNA insert of the Leishmania antigen MAPS-1A.

FIG. 24 illustrates the proliferation of PBMC isolated from uninfected-individuals, patients with active mucosal leishmaniasis and patients post kala-azar infection, stimulated by MAPS-1A.

FIG. 25 illustrates the proliferation of murine lymph node cultures stimulated by MAPS-1A.

FIG. 26 illustrates the reactivity of MAPS-1A with sera from human leishmaniasis patients.

FIG. 27 illustrates the reactivity of MAPS-1A with sera from mice immunized against and/or infected with leishmaniasis.

FIG. 28 illustrates the effectiveness of immunization with either soluble Leishmania antigens or a mixture of Ldp23, LbeiF4A and M15 plus adjuvant in conferring protection against infection (as measured by footpad swelling) in a murine leishmaniasis model system, as compared to the administration of adjuvant alone.

FIG. 29 illustrates the effectiveness of immunization with MAPS-1A plus adjuvant in conferring protection against infection (as measured by footpad swelling) in a murine leishmaniasis model system, as compared to the administration of adjuvant alone.

FIGS. 30A and B illustrate the proliferation of murine lymph node cultures stimulated with either LcgSP8, LcgSP10 or LcgSP3.

FIG. 31 illustrates the effectiveness of immunization with soluble Leishmania antigens, MAPS-1A and M15 plus adjuvant, IL-12, in conferring protection against infection (as measured by footpad swelling) in a murine leishmaniasis model system, as compared to the administration of adjuvant IL-12 alone.

FIG. 32 illustrates the effectiveness of immunization with M15 DNA and MAPS-1A DNA in conferring protection against infection (as measured by footpad swelling) in a murine leishmaniasis model system, as compared to control DNA and saline.

FIG. 33 illustrates the effectiveness of immunization with Leishmania fusion proteins plus IL-12 as adjuvant, in conferring protection against infection in a murine leishmaniasis model system.

FIG. 34 illustrates the effectiveness of immunization with Leishmania fusion proteins plus the adjuvant MPL-SE, in conferring protection against infection in a murine leishmaniasis model system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As noted above, the present invention is generally directed to compositions and methods for preventing, treating and detecting leishmaniasis, as well as for stimulating immune responses in patients. The compositions of the subject invention include polypeptides that comprise at least an immunogenic portion of a Leishmania antigen, or a variant of such an antigen that differs only in conservative substitutions and/or modifications. In one preferred embodiment, compositions of the present invention include multiple polypeptides selected so as to provide enhanced protection against a variety of Leishmania species.

Polypeptides within the scope of the present invention include, but are not limited to, polypeptides comprising immunogenic portions of Leishmania antigens comprising the sequences recited in SEQ ID NO:2 (referred to herein as M15), SEQ ID NO:4 (referred to herein as Ldp23), SEQ ID NO:6 (referred to herein as Lbhsp83), SEQ ID NO:8 (referred to herein as Lt-210), SEQ ID NO:10 (referred to herein as LbeIF4A), SEQ ID NO: 20 (referred to herein as Lmsp1a), SEQ ID NO: 22 (referred to herein as Lmsp9a), SEQ ID NOs: 24 and 26 (referred to herein as MAPS-1A), and SEQ ID NO: 36-42, 49-53 and 55. As used herein, the term “polypeptide” encompasses amino acid chains of any length, including full length proteins (i.e., antigens), wherein the amino acid residues are linked by covalent bonds. Thus, a polypeptide comprising an immunogenic portion of one of the above antigens may consist entirely of the immunogenic portion, or may contain additional sequences. The additional sequences may be derived from the native Leishmania antigen or may be heterologous, and such sequences may (but need not) be immunogenic. An antigen “having” a particular sequence is an antigen that contains, within its full length sequence, the recited sequence. The native antigen may, or may not, contain additional amino acid sequence.

An immunogenic portion of a Leishmania antigen is a portion that is capable of eliciting an immune response (i.e., cellular and/or humoral) in a presently or previously Leishmania-infected patient (such as a human or a dog) and/or in cultures of lymph node cells or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from presently or previously Leishmania-infected individuals. The cells in which a response is elicited may comprise a mixture of cell types or may contain isolated component cells (including, but not limited to, T-cells, NK cells, macrophages, monocytes and/or B cells). In particular, immunogenic portions are capable of inducing T-cell proliferation and/or a dominantly Th1-type cytokine response (e.g., IL-2, IFN-γ, and/or TNF-α production by T-cells and/or NK cells; and/or IL-12 production by monocytes, macrophages and/or B cells). Immunogenic portions of the antigens described herein may generally be identified using techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art, including the representative methods provided herein.

The compositions and methods of the present invention also encompass variants of the above polypeptides. A polypeptide “variant,” as used herein, is a polypeptide that differs from the native antigen only in conservative substitutions and/or modifications, such that the ability of the polypeptide to include an immune response is retained. Polypeptide variants preferably exhibit at least about 70%, more preferably at least about 90% and most preferably at least about 95% identity to the identified polypeptides. Alternatively, such variants may be identified by modifying one of the above polypeptide sequences and evaluating the immunogenic properties of the modified polypeptide using, for example, the representative procedures described herein.

A “conservative substitution” is one in which an amino acid is substituted for another amino acid that has similar properties, such that one skilled in the art of peptide chemistry would expect the secondary structure and hydropathic nature of the polypeptide to be substantially unchanged. In general, the following groups of amino acids represent conservative changes: (1) ala, pro, gly, glu, asp, gln, asn, ser, thr; (2) cys, ser, tyr, thr; (3) val, ile, leu, met, ala, phe; (4) lys, arg, his; and (5) phe, tyr, trp, his.

Variants may also (or alternatively) be modified by, for example, the deletion or addition of amino acids that have minimal influence on the immunogenic properties, secondary structure and hydropathic nature of the polypeptide. For example, a polypeptide may be conjugated to a signal (or leader) sequence at the N-terminal end of the protein which co-translationally or post-translationally directs transfer of the protein. The polypeptide may also be conjugated to a linker or other sequence for ease of synthesis, purification or identification of the polypeptide (e.g., poly-His), or to enhance binding of the polypeptide to a solid support. For example, a polypeptide may be conjugated to an immunoglobulin Fc region.

A nucleotide “variant” is a sequence that differs from the recited nucleotide sequence in having one or more nucleotide deletions, substitutions or additions. Such modifications may be readily introduced using standard mutagenesis techniques, such as oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis as taught, for example, by Adelman et al. (DNA, 2:183, 1983). Nucleotide variants may be naturally occurring allelic variants, or non-naturally occurring variants. Variant nucleotide sequences preferably exhibit at least about 70%, more preferably at least about 80% and most preferably at least about 90% identity to the recited sequence. Such variant nucleotide sequences will generally hybridize to the recited nucleotide sequence under stringent conditions. As used herein, “stringent conditions” refers to prewashing in a solution of 6×SSC, 0.2% SDS; hybridizing at 65° C., 6×SSC, 0.2% SDS overnight; followed by two washes of 30 minutes each in 1×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65° C. and two washes of 30 minutes each in 0.2×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65° C.

“Polypeptides” as described herein also include combination polypeptides, also referred to as fusion proteins. A “combination polypeptide” is a polypeptide comprising at least one of the above immunogenic portions and one or more additional immunogenic Leishmania sequences, which are joined via a peptide linkage into a single amino acid chain. The sequences may be joined directly (ie., with no intervening amino acids) or may be joined by way of a linker sequence (e.g., Gly-Cys-Gly) that does not significantly diminish the immunogenic properties of the component polypeptides.

Fusion proteins may generally be prepared using standard techniques, including chemical conjugation. Preferably, a fusion protein is expressed as a recombinant protein, allowing the production of increased levels, relative to a non-fused protein, in an expression system. Briefly, DNA sequences encoding the polypeptide components may be assembled separately, and ligated into an appropriate expression vector. The 3′ end of the DNA sequence encoding one polypeptide component is ligated, with or without a peptide linker, to the 5′ end of a DNA sequence encoding the second polypeptide component so that the reading frames of the sequences are in frame. This permits translation into a single fusion protein that retains the biological activity of both component polypeptides.

A peptide linker sequence may be employed to separate the first and the second polypeptide components by a distance sufficient to ensure that each polypeptide folds into its secondary and tertiary structures. Such a peptide linker sequence is incorporated into the fusion protein using standard techniques well known in the art. Suitable peptide linker sequences may be chosen based on the following factors: (1) their ability to adopt a flexible extended conformation; (2) their inability to adopt a secondary structure that could interact with functional epitopes on the first and second polypeptides; and (3) the lack of hydrophobic or charged residues that might react with the polypeptide functional epitopes. Preferred peptide linker sequences contain Gly, Asn and Ser residues. Other near neutral amino acids, such as Thr and Ala may also be used in the linker sequence. Amino acid sequences which may be usefully employed as linkers include those disclosed in Maratea et al., Gene 40:39-46, 1985; Murphy et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:8258-8262, 1986; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,935,233 and 4,751,180. The linker sequence may generally be from 1 to about 50 amino acids in length. Linker sequences are not required when the first and second polypeptides have non-essential N-terminal amino acid regions that can be used to separate the functional domains and prevent steric interference.

The ligated DNA sequences are operably linked to suitable transcriptional or translational regulatory elements. The regulatory elements responsible for expression of DNA are located only 5′ to the DNA sequence encoding the first polypeptides. Similarly, stop codons required to end translation and transcription termination signals are only present 3′ to the DNA sequence encoding the second polypeptide. The preparation of fusion proteins of Leishmania antigens is described below in Example 19.

In general, Leishmania antigens having immunogenic properties, and DNA sequences encoding such antigens, may be prepared using any of a variety of procedures from one or more Leishmania species including, but not limited to, L. donovani, L. chagasi, L. infantum, L. major, L. amazonensis, L. braziliensis, L. panamensis, L. mexicana, L. tropica, and L. guyanensis. Such species are available, for example, from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), Rockville, Md. For example, peptides isolated from MHC class II molecules of macrophages infected with a Leishmania species may be used to rescue the corresponding Leishmania donor antigens. MHC class II molecules are expressed mainly by cells of the immune system, including macrophages. These molecules present peptides, which are usually 13-17 amino acids long, derived from foreign antigens that are degraded in cellular vesicles. The bound peptide antigens are then recognized by CD4 T-cells. Accordingly, foreign peptides isolated from MHC class II molecules of, for example, Leishmania-infected murine macrophages may be used to identify immunogenic Leishmania proteins.

Briefly, peptides derived from Leishmania antigens may be isolated by comparing the reverse phase HPLC profile of peptides extracted from infected macrophages with the profile of peptides extracted from uninfected cells. Peptides giving rise to distinct HPLC peaks unique to infected macrophages may then be sequenced using, for example, Edman chemistry as described in Edman and Berg, Eur J. Biochem, 80:116-132 (1967). A DNA fragment corresponding to a portion of a Leishmania gene encoding the peptide may then be amplified from a Leishmania cDNA library using an oligonucleotide sense primer derived from the peptide sequence and an oligo dT antisense primer. The resulting DNA fragment may then be used as a probe to screen a Leishmania library for a full length cDNA or genomic clone that encodes the Leishmania antigen. Such screens may generally be performed using techniques well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as those described in Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. (1989).

This approach may be used to identify a 23 kD Leishmania donovani antigen (referred to herein as Ldp23). The sequence of a polynucleotide encoding Ldp23 is provided in SEQ ID NO:3 and the amino acid sequence of Ldp23 is provided in SEQ ID NO:4. Using the methods described herein, Ldp23 has been shown to induce a Th1 immune response in T-cells prepared from Leishmania-infected mice.

Alternatively, a Leishmania cDNA or genomic expression library may be screened with serum from a Leishmania-infected individual, using techniques well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Polynucleotides encoding reactive antigens may then be used to express the recombinant antigen for purification. The immunogenic properties of the purified Leishmania antigens may then be evaluated using, for example the representative methods described herein.

For example, sera from Leishmania-infected mice may be used to screen a cDNA library prepared from Leishmania amastigotes. Reactive clones may then be expressed and recombinant proteins assayed for the ability to stimulate T-cells or NK cells derived from Leishmania-immune individuals (i.e., individuals having evidence of infection, as documented by positive serological reactivity with Leishmania-specific antibodies and/or a Leishmania-specific DTH response, without clinical symptoms of leishmaniasis). This procedure may be used to obtain a recombinant polynucleotide encoding the Leishmania antigen designated M15. The sequence of such a polynucleotide is provided in SEQ ID NO:1, and the amino acid sequence of the encoded protein is provided in SEQ ID NO:2.

A similar approach may be used to isolate a genomic polynucleotide encoding an immunogenic Leishmania braziliensis antigen, referred to herein as Lbhsp83. More specifically, a genomic clone encoding Lbhsp83 may be isolated by screening a L. braziliensis expression library with sera from a Leishmania-infected individual. The DNA encoding Lbhsp83 is homologous to the gene encoding the eukaryotic 83 kD heat shock protein. The sequence of a polynucleotide encoding nearly all of Lbhsp83 is presented in SEQ ID NO:5, and the encoded amino acid sequence is provided in SEQ ID NO:6. Using the methods described below, Lbhsp83 has been found to stimulate proliferation, and a mixed Th1 and Th2 cytokine profile, in PBMC isolated from L. braziliensis-infected patients. Accordingly, Lbhsp83 is an immunogenic Leishmania antigen. Regions of Lbhsp83 that are not conserved with the mammalian gene have been found to be particularly potent for T-cell stimulation and antibody binding. Such regions may be identified, for example, by visual inspection of the sequence comparison provided in FIG. 19.

This approach may also be used to isolate a polynucleotide encoding a 210 kD immunogenic L. tropica antigen, referred to herein as Lt-210. The preparation and characterization of Lt-210, and immunogenic portions thereof (such as Lt-1 and immunogenic repeat and non-repeat sequences), is described in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/511,872, filed Aug. 4, 1995. The sequence of a polynucleotide encoding Lt-1 is provided in SEQ ID NO:7 and the encoded amino acid sequence is presented in SEQ ID NO:8.

The above approach may further be used to isolate a polynucleotide encoding a L. braziliensis antigen referred to herein as LbeIF4A. Briefly, such a clone may be isolated by screening a L. braziliensis expression library with sera obtained from a patient afflicted with mucosal leishmaniasis, and analyzing the reactive antigens for the ability to stimulate proliferative responses and preferential Th1 cytokine production in PBMC isolated from Leishmania-infected patients, as described below. The preparation and characterization of LbeIF4A is described in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 08/454,036 and 08/488,386, which are continuations-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/232,534, filed Apr. 22, 1994. The sequence of a polynucleotide encoding LbeIF4A is provided in SEQ ID NO:9 and the encoded amino acid sequence is presented in SEQ ID NO:10. Homologs of LbeIF4A, such as that found in L. major, may also be isolated using this approach, and are within the scope of the present invention.

Compositions of the present invention may also, or alternatively, contain soluble Leishmania antigens. As used herein, “soluble Leishmania antigens” refers to a mixture of at least 8 different Leishmania antigens that may be isolated from the supernatant of Leishmania promastigotes of any species grown for 8-12 hours in protein-free medium. Briefly, the organisms are grown to late log phase in complex medium with serum until they reach a density of 2-3×10⁷ viable organisms per mL of medium. The organisms are thoroughly washed to remove medium components and resuspended at 2-3×10⁷ viable organisms per mL of defined serum-free medium consisting of equal parts RPMI 1640 and medium 199, both from Gibco BRL, Gaithersburg, Md. After 8-12 hours. the supernatant containing soluble Leishmania antigens is removed, concentrated 10 fold and dialyzed against phosphate-buffered saline for 24 hours. The presence of at least eight different antigens within the mixture of Leishmania antigens may be confirmed using SDS-PAGE (i.e., through the observation of at least 8 different bands). The immunogenic properties of the soluble Leishmania antigens may be confirmed by evaluating the ability of the preparation to elicit an immune response in cultures of lymph node cells and/or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from presently or previously Leishmania-infected individuals. Such an evaluation may be performed as described below.

Individual antigens present within the mixture of soluble Leishmania antigens may be isolated by immunizing mice or rabbits with Leishmania culture supernatant, containing soluble antigens, and employing the resultant sera to screen a Leishmania cDNA expression library as described in detail below. This procedure may be used to isolate recombinant polynucleotides encoding the L. major antigens referred to herein as Lmsp1a, Lmsp9a and MAPS-1A. DNA sequences encoding Lmsp1a, Lmsp9a and MAPS-1A are provided in SEQ ID NO: 19, 21 and 23, respectively, with the corresponding predicted amino acid sequences being presented in SEQ ID NO: 20, 22 and 24, respectively. Similarly, sera from mice or rabbits immunized with L. major culture supernatant may be used to screen an L. major genomic DNA library. As detailed below, this procedure may be used to isolate polynucleotides encoding the L. major antigens referred to herein as LmgSP1, LmgSP3, LmgSP5, LmgSP8, LmgSP9, LmgSP13, LmgSP19, and polynucleotides encoding the L. chagasi antigens LcgSP1, LcgSP3, LcgSP4, LcgSP8, and LcgSP10. The DNA sequences encoding these antigens are provided in SEQ ID NO:29-35 and 44-48, respectively, with the corresponding amino acid sequences being provided in SEQ ID NO: 36-42 and 49-53. The L. major antigens referred to herein as 1G6-34, 1E6-44, 4A5-63, 1B11-39, 2A10-37, 4G2-83, 4H6-41 and 8G3-100 may be isolated by means of CD4+ T cell expression cloning as described below. DNA sequences encoding these antigens are provided in SEQ ID NO: 72-79, respectively, with the corresponding predicted amino acid sequences being provided in SEQ ID NO: 80-87. The immunogenic properties of the isolated Leishmania antigens may be evaluated using, for example, the representative methods described herein.

Regardless of the method of preparation, the antigens described herein are immunogenic. In other words, the antigens (and immunogenic portions thereof) are capable of eliciting an immune response in cultures of lymph node cells and/or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from presently or previously Leishmania-infected individuals. More specifically, the antigens, and immunogenic portions thereof, have the ability to induce T-cell proliferation and/or to elicit a dominantly Th1-type cytokine response (e.g., IL-2, IFN-γ, and/or TNF-α production by T-cells and/or NK cells; and/or IL-12 production by monocytes, macrophages and/or B cells) in cells isolated from presently or previously Leishmania-infected individuals. A Leishmania-infected individual may be afflicted with a form of leishmaniasis (such as subclinical, cutaneous, mucosal or active visceral) or may be asymptomatic. Such individuals may be identified using methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Individuals with leishmaniasis may be identified based on clinical findings associated with at least one of the following: isolation of parasite from lesions, a positive skin test with Leishmania lysate or a positive serological test. Asymptomatic individuals are infected individuals who have no signs or symptoms of the disease. Such individuals can be identified based on a positive serological test and/or skin test with Leishmania lysate.

The term “PBMC,” which refers to a preparation of nucleated cells consisting primarily of lymphocytes and monocytes that are present in peripheral blood, encompasses both mixtures of cells and preparations of one or more purified cell types. PBMC may be isolated by methods known to those in the art. For example, PBMC may be isolated by density centrifugation through, for example, Ficoll™ (Winthrop Laboratories, New York). Lymph node cultures may generally be prepared by immunizing BALB/c mice (e.g., in the rear foot pad) with Leishmania promastigotes emulsified in complete Freünd's adjuvant. The draining lymph nodes may be excised following immunization and T-cells may be purified in an anti-mouse Ig column to remove the B cells, followed by a passage through a Sephadex G10 column to remove the macrophages. Similarly, lymph node cells may be isolated from a human following biopsy or surgical removal of a lymph node.

The ability of a polypeptide (e.g., a Leishmania antigen or a portion or other variant thereof) to induce a response in PBMC or lymph node cell cultures may be evaluated by contacting the cells with the polypeptide and measuring a suitable response. In general, the amount of polypeptide that is sufficient for the evaluation of about 2×10⁵ cells ranges from about 10 ng to about 100 μg, and preferably is about 1-10 μg. The incubation of polypeptide with cells is typically performed at 37° C. for about 1-3 days. Following incubation with polypeptide, the cells are assayed for an appropriate response. If the response is a proliferative response, any of a variety of techniques well known to those of ordinary skill in the art may be employed. For example, the cells may be exposed to a pulse of radioactive thymidine and the incorporation of label into cellular DNA measured. In general, a polypeptide that results in at least a three fold increase in proliferation above background (i.e., the proliferation observed for cells cultured without polypeptide) is considered to be able to induce proliferation.

Alternatively, the response to be measured may be the secretion of one or more cytokines (such as interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-12 (p70 and/or p40), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and/or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)) or the change in the level of mRNA encoding one or more specific cytokines. In particular, the secretion of interferon-γ, interleukin-2, tumor necrosis factor-α and/or interleukin-12 is indicative of a Th1 response, which is responsible for the protective effect against Leishmania. Assays for any of the above cytokines may generally be performed using methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Suitable antibodies for use in such assays may be obtained from a variety of sources such as Chemicon, Temucula, Calif. and PharMingen, San Diego, Calif., and may generally be used according to the manufacturer's instructions. The level of mRNA encoding one or more specific cytokines may be evaluated by, for example, amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In general, a polypeptide that is able to induce, in a preparation of about 1-3×10⁵ cells, the production of 30 pg/mL of IL-12, IL-4, IFN-γ, TNF-α or IL-12 p40, or 10 pg/mL of IL-12 p70, is considered able to stimulate production of a cytokine.

Immunogenic portions of the antigens described herein may be prepared and identified using well known techniques, such as those summarized in Paul, Fundamental Immunology, 3rd ed., 243-247 (Raven Press, 1993) and references cited therein. Such techniques include screening polypeptides derived from the native antigen for immunogenic properties using, for example, the representative techniques described herein. An immunogenic portion of a polypeptide is a portion that, within such representative assays, generates an immune response (e.g., proliferation and/or cytokine production) that is substantially similar to that generated by the full length antigen. In other words, an immunogenic portion of an antigen may generate at least about 25%, and preferably at least about 50%, of the response generated by the full length antigen in the model assays described herein.

Portions and other variants of immunogenic Leishmania antigens may be generated by synthetic or recombinant means. Synthetic polypeptides having fewer than about 100 amino acids, and generally fewer than about 50 amino acids, may be generated using techniques well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, such polypeptides may be synthesized using any of the commercially available solid-phase techniques, such as the Merrifield solid-phase synthesis method, where amino acids are sequentially added to a growing amino acid chain. See Merrifield, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 85:2149-2146, 1963. Equipment for automated synthesis of polypeptides is commercially available from suppliers such as Perkin Elmer/Applied BioSystemsDivision, Foster City, Calif., and may be operated according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Recombinant polypeptides containing portions and/or variants of a native antigen may be readily prepared from a DNA sequence encoding the antigen. For example, supernatants from suitable host/vector systems which secrete recombinant protein into culture media may be first concentrated using a commercially available filter. Following concentration, the concentrate may be applied to a suitable purification matrix such as an affinity matrix or an ion exchange resin. Finally, one or more reverse phase HPLC steps can be employed to further purify a recombinant protein.

In general, any of a variety of expression vectors known to those of ordinary skill in the art may be employed to express recombinant polypeptides of this invention. Expression may be achieved in any appropriate host cell that has been transformed or transfected with an expression vector containing a polynucleotide that encodes a recombinant polypeptide. Suitable host cells include prokaryotes, yeast and higher eukaryotic cells. Preferably, the host cells employed are E. coli, yeast or a mammalian cell line such as COS or CHO. The DNA sequences expressed in this manner may encode naturally occurring antigens, portions of naturally occurring antigens, or other variants thereof. For example, variants of a native antigen may generally be prepared using standard mutagenesis techniques, such as oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis, and sections of the DNA sequence may be removed to permit preparation of truncated polypeptides.

In another aspect, the present invention provides epitope repeat sequences, or antigenic epitopes, of a Leishmania antigen, together with polypeptides comprising at least two such contiguous antigenic epitopes. As used herein an “epitope” is a portion of an antigen that reacts with sera from Leishmania-infected individuals (i.e. an epitope is specifically bound by one or more antibodies present in such sera). As discussed above, epitopes of the antigens described in the present application may be generally identified using techniques well known to those of skill in the art.

In one embodiment, antigenic epitopes of the present invention comprise an amino acid sequence provided in SEQ ID NO:43, 56, 57 or 58. As discussed in more detail below, antigenic epitopes provided herein may be employed in the diagnosis and treatment of Leishmania infection, either alone or in combination with other Leishmania antigens or antigenic epitopes. Antigenic epitopes and polypeptides comprising such epitopes may be prepared by synthetic means, as described generally above and in detail in Example 15.

In certain aspects of the present invention, described in detail below, the polypeptides, antigenic epitopes and/or soluble Leishmania antigens may be incorporated into pharmaceutical compositions or vaccines. For clarity, the term “polypeptide” will be used when describing specific embodiments of the inventive therapeutic compositions and diagnostic methods. However, it will be clear to one of skill in the art that the antigenic epitopes of the present invention may also be employed in such compositions and methods. Pharmaceutical compositions comprise one or more polypeptides, each of which may contain one or more of the above sequences (or variants thereof), and a physiologically acceptable carrier. Vaccines comprise one or more of the above polypeptides and an immunostimulant, such as an adjuvant (e.g., LbeIF4A, interleukin-12 or other cytokines) or a liposome (into which the polypeptide is incorporated). In certain embodiments, the inventive vaccines include an adjuvant capable of eliciting a predominantly Th-1 type response. Preferred adjuvants for use in eliciting a predominantly Th1-type response include, for example, a combination of monophosphoryl lipid A, preferably 3-de-O-acylated monophosphoryl lipid A (3D-MPL), together with an aluminum salt. MPL adjuvants are available from Ribi ImmunoChem Research Inc. (Hamilton, Mont.; see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,436,727; 4,877,611; 4,866,034 and 4,912,094). CpG-containing oligonucleotides (in which the CpG dinucleotide is unmethylated) also induce a predominantly Th1 response. Such oligonucleotides are well known and are described, for example, in WO 96/02555 and WP 99/33488. Immunostimulatory DNA sequences are also described, for example, by Sato et al., Science 273:352, 1996. Another preferred adjuvant is a saponin, preferably QS21 (Aquila, United States), which may be used alone or in combination with other adjuvants. For example, an enhanced system involves the combination of a monophosphoryl lipid A and saponin derivative, such as the combination of QS21 and 3D-MPL as described in WO 94/00153, or a less reactogenic composition where the QS21 is quenched with cholesterol, as described in WO 96/33739. Other preferred formulations comprise an oil-in-water emulsion and tocopherol. A particularly potent adjuvant formulation involving QS21, 3D-MPL and tocopherol in an oil-in-water emulsion is described in WO 95/17210.

Vaccines may additionally contain a delivery vehicle, such as a biodegradable microsphere (disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,897,268 and 5,075,109). Pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines within the scope of the present invention may also contain other Leishmania antigens, either incorporated into a combination polypeptide or present within one or more separate polypeptides.

Alternatively, a pharmaceutical composition or vaccine may contain an immunostimulant such as, an adjuvant (e.g., LbeIF4A, interleukin-12 or other cytokines) or DNA coding for such enhancers, and DNA encoding one or more of the polypeptides as described above, such that the polypeptide is generated in situ. In such pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines, the DNA may be present within any of a variety of delivery systems known to those of ordinary skill in the art, including nucleic acid expression systems, bacteria and viral expression systems. Appropriate nucleic acid expression systems contain the necessary DNA sequences for expression in the patient (such as a suitable promoter and terminating signal). Bacterial delivery systems involve the administration of a bacterium (such as Bacillus-Calmette-Guerrin) that expresses an immunogenic portion of the polypeptide on its cell surface. In a preferred embodiment, the DNA may be introduced using a viral expression system (e.g., vaccinia or other pox virus, retrovirus, or adenovirus), which may involve the use of a non-pathogenic (defective), replication competent virus. Techniques for incorporating DNA into such expression systems are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The DNA may also be “naked,” as described, for example, in Ulmer et al., Science 259:1745-1749 (1993) and reviewed by Cohen, Science 259:1691-1692 (1993). The uptake of naked DNA may be increased by coating the DNA onto biodegradable beads, which are efficiently transported into the cells.

While any suitable carrier known to those of ordinary skill in the art may be employed in the pharmaceutical compositions of this invention, the type of carrier will vary depending on the mode of administration. For parenteral administration, such as subcutaneous injection, the carrier preferably comprises water, saline, alcohol, a fat, a wax or a buffer. For oral administration, any of the above carriers or a solid carrier, such as mannitol, lactose, starch, magnesium stearate, sodium saccharine, talcum, cellulose, glucose, sucrose, and magnesium carbonate, may be employed. Biodegradable microspheres (e.g., polylactic galactide) may also be employed as carriers for the pharmaceutical compositions of this invention. Suitable biodegradable microspheres are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,897,268 and 5,075,109.

Any of a variety of adjuvants may be employed in the vaccines of this invention to nonspecifically enhance the immune response. Most adjuvants contain a substance designed to protect the antigen from rapid catabolism, such as aluminum hydroxide or mineral oil, and a nonspecific stimulator of immune responses, such as lipid A, Bordella pertussis or Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Suitable adjuvants are commercially available as, for example, Freund's Incomplete Adjuvant and Complete Adjuvant (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.), Merck Adjuvant 65 (Merck and Company, Inc., Rahway, N.J.), alum, biodegradable microspheres, monophosphoryl lipid A and quil A. Preferred adjuvants include LbeIF4A, IL-12 and other cytokines such as IFN-γ or granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). By virtue of its ability to induce an exclusive Th1 immune response, the use of LbeIF4A, and variants thereof, as an adjuvant in the vaccines of the present invention is particularly preferred.

In one preferred embodiment, compositions of the present invention include multiple polypeptides selected so as to provide enhanced protection against a variety of Leishmania species. Such polypeptides may be selected based on the species of origin of the native antigen or based on a high degree of conservation of amino acid sequence among different species of Leishmania. A combination of individual polypeptides may be particularly effective as a prophylactic and/or therapeutic vaccine because (1) stimulation of proliferation and/or cytokine production by a combination of individual polypeptides may be additive, (2) stimulation of proliferation and/or cytokine production by a combination of individual polypeptides may be synergistic, (3) a combination of individual polypeptides may stimulate cytokine profiles in such a way as to be complementary to each other and/or (4) individual polypeptides may be complementary to one another when certain of them are expressed more abundantly on the individual species or strain of Leishmania responsible for infection. A preferred combination contains polypeptides that comprise immunogenic portions of M15, Ldp23, Lbhsp83, Lt-1 and LbeIF4A. Alternatively, or in addition, the combination may include one or more polypeptides comprising immunogenic portions of other Leishmania antigens disclosed herein, and/or soluble Leishmania antigens.

In another preferred embodiment, compositions of the present invention include single polypeptides selected so as to provide enhanced protection against a variety of Leishmania species. A single individual polypeptide may be particularly effective as a prophylactic and/or therapeutic vaccine for those reasons stated above for combinations of individual polypeptides.

In another embodiment, compositions of the present invention include individual polypeptides and combinations of the above described polypeptides employed with a variety of adjuvants, such as IL-12 (protein or DNA) to confer a protective response against a variety of Leishmania species.

In yet another embodiment, compositions of the present invention include DNA constructs of the various Leishmania species employed alone or in combination with variety of adjuvants, such as IL-12 (protein or DNA) to confer a protective response against a variety of Leishmania species.

The above pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines may be used, for example, to induce protective immunity against Leishmania in a patient, such as a human or a dog, to prevent leishmaniasis. Appropriate doses and methods of administration for this purposes are described in detail below.

The pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines described herein may also be used to stimulate an immune response, which may be cellular and/or humoral, in a patient. For Leishmania-infected patients, the immune responses that may be generated include a preferential Th1 immune response (i.e., a response characterized by the production of the cytokines interleukin-1, interleukin-2, interleukin-12 and/or interferon-γ, as well as tumor necrosis factor-α). For uninfected patients, the immune response may be the production of interleukin-12 and/or interleukin-2, or the stimulation of gamma delta T-cells. In either category of patient, the response stimulated may include IL-12 production. Such responses may also be elicited in biological samples of PBMC or components thereof derived from Leishmania-infected or uninfected individuals. As noted above, assays for any of the above cytokines may generally be performed using methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Suitable pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines for use in this aspect of the present invention are those that contain at least one polypeptide comprising an immunogenic portion of a Leishmania antigen disclosed herein (or a variant thereof). Preferably, the polypeptides employed in the pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines are complementary, as described above. Soluble Leishmania antigens, with or without additional polypeptides, may also be employed.

The pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines described herein may also be used to treat a patient afflicted with a disease responsive to IL-12 stimulation. The patient may be any warm-blooded animal, such as a human or a dog. Such diseases include infections (which may be, for example, bacterial, viral or protozoan) or diseases such as cancer. In one embodiment, the disease is leishmaniasis, and the patient may display clinical symptoms or may be asymptomatic. In general, the responsiveness of a particular disease to IL-12 stimulation may be determined by evaluating the effect of treatment with a pharmaceutical composition or vaccine of the present invention on clinical correlates of immunity. For example, if treatment results in a heightened Th1 response or the conversion of a Th2 to a Th1 profile, with accompanying clinical improvement in the treated patient, the disease is responsive to IL-12 stimulation. Polypeptide administration may be as described below, or may extend for a longer period of time, depending on the indication. Preferably, the polypeptides employed in the pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines are complementary, as described above. A particularly preferred combination contains polypeptides that comprise immunogenic portions of M15, Ldp23, Lbhsp83, Lt-1 and LbeIF4A, Lmsp1a, Lmsp9a, and MAPS-1A. Soluble Leishmania antigens, with or without additional polypeptides, may also be employed.

Routes and frequency of administration, as well as dosage, for the above aspects of the present invention will vary from individual to individual and may parallel those currently being used in immunization against other infections, including protozoan, viral and bacterial infections. In general, the pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines may be administered by injection (e.g., intracutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous or subcutaneous), intranasally (e.g., by aspiration) or orally. Between 1 and 12 doses may be administered over a 1 year period. For therapeutic vaccination (i.e., treatment of an infected individual), 12 doses are preferably administered, at one month intervals. For prophylactic use, 3 doses are preferably administered, at 3 month intervals. In either case, booster vaccinations may be given periodically thereafter. Alternate protocols may be appropriate for individual patients. A suitable dose is an amount of polypeptide or DNA that, when administered as described above, is capable of raising an immune response in an immunized patient sufficient to protect the patient from leishmaniasis for at least 1-2 years. In general, the amount of polypeptide present in a dose (or produced in situ by the DNA in a dose) ranges from about 100 ng to about 1 mg per kg of host, typically from about 10 μg to about 100 μg. Suitable dose sizes will vary with the size of the patient, but will typically range from about 0.1 mL to about 5 mL.

In another aspect, this invention provides methods for using one or more of the polypeptides described above to diagnose Leishmania infection in a patient using a skin test. As used herein, a “skin test” is any assay performed directly on a patient in which a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction (such as induration and accompanying redness) is measured following intradermal injection of one or more polypeptides as described above. Such injection may be achieved using any suitable device sufficient to contact the polypeptide or polypeptides with dermal cells of the patient, such as a tuberculin syringe or 1 mL syringe. Preferably, the reaction is measured at least 48 hours after injection, more preferably 72 hours after injection.

The DTH reaction is a cell-mediated immune response, which is greater in patients that have been exposed previously to a test antigen (i.e., an immunogenic portion of a polypeptide employed, or a variant thereof). The response may measured visually, using a ruler. In general, induration that is greater than about 0.5 cm in diameter, preferably greater than about 1.0 cm in diameter, is a positive response, indicative of Leishmania infection, which may or may not be manifested as an active disease.

The polypeptides of this invention are preferably formulated, for use in a skin test, as pharmaceutical compositions containing at least one polypeptide and a physiologically acceptable carrier, as described above. Such compositions typically contain one or more of the above polypeptides in an amount ranging from about 1 μg to 100 μg, preferably from about 10 μg to 50 μg in a volume of 0.1 mL. Preferably, the carrier employed in such pharmaceutical compositions is a saline solution with appropriate preservatives, such as phenol and/or Tween 80™.

The inventive polypeptides may also be employed in combination with one or more known Leishmania antigens in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis, using, for example, the skin test described above. Preferably, individual polypeptides are chosen in such a way as to be complementary to each other. Examples of known Leishmania antigens which may be usefully employed in conjunction with the inventive polypeptides include K39 (Bums et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 1993 90:775-779).

The following Examples are offered by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Preparation of M15

This Example illustrates the preparation of a Leishmania antigen M15, having the sequence provided in SEQ ID NO:2.

An L. major (Friedlan strain) amastigote cDNA expression library prepared in the λZAP II vector (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.) was screened according to manufacturer's instructions using sera obtained from L. major infected BALB/c mice (8 weeks post inoculation). Approximately 40,000 plaques were screened and four clones expressing reactive antigens were purified to homogeneity by two subsequent rounds of low density screening. Bluescript phagemid inserts were excised from positive clones for further analysis. An EcoRI/SstII restriction fragment from the 5′ end of one partial cDNA insert isolated during first round screening (pLmal-1) was subsequently used as a probe to rescreen for clones containing full length cDNA inserts. The probe was labeled to high specific activity (˜10⁹ cpm/μg) with [α-³²P]dCTP using the random primer method and was used to screen ˜10,000 plaques of the L. major expression library described above. Positive clones were compared by restriction enzyme digestion and the clone with the largest insert (pfl1-1) was chosen for subsequent analysis.

DNA sequence analyses were performed on an Applied Biosystems automated sequencer using Taq polymerase and dye coupled ddNTP terminators or dye-labeled sequencing primers. The complete sequence of the 2685 bp insert was determined using a combination of primer-directed sequencing and by sequencing a series of overlapping Exonuclease III deletion subclones generated using the Erase-a-base system (Promega, Madison, Wis.). The sequence of this insert is provided in SEQ ID NO:1, and the deduced amino acid sequence is provided in SEQ ID NO:2.

The complete insert of clone pf1-1 was excised by digestion with BamHI/KpnI and was subcloned in frame into BamHI/KpnI digested pQE31 (QUIAGEN) to generate the construct pM151A. E. coli containing this construct inducibly expressed high levels of the L. major antigen encoded by pfl1-1 (designated as M15) with the addition of a 6-histidine tag at the amino terminus. Large volume cultures (500 ml) of E. coil host cells containing the pM151A construct were induced to express recombinant protein by the addition of 2 mM IPTG at mid-log phase of growth. Growth was continued for 4 to 5 hours and bacteria were then pelleted and washed once with cold PBS. Bacteria ere resuspended in 20 ml of lysis buffer (50 mM Na₂HPO₄, pH 8.0, 300 mM NaCl, 10 mM β-mercaptoethanol) containing 20 mg of lysozyme and were lysed by a 1 hour incubation at 4° C. followed by brief sonication. Insoluble material was removed by centrifugation at 10,000×g for 10 minutes and although the recombinant protein was found to be evenly distributed between the soluble and insoluble fractions the insoluble material was discarded at this point. Recombinant protein containing the amino terminal histidine tag was affinity purified using Ni-NTA resin (QIAGEN) according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Briefly, 8 ml of Ni-NTA resin resuspended in lysis buffer was added to the soluble lysate fraction and binding was conducted with constant mixing for 1 hour at 4° C. The mixture was then loaded into a gravity flow column and the non-binding material was allowed to flow through. The Ni-NTA matrix was washed 3 times with 25 ml of wash buffer (50 mM Na₂HPO₄, pH 6.0, 300 mM NaCl, 10 mM β-mercaptoethanol) and bound material was eluted in 25 ml of elution buffer (50 mM Na₂HPO₄, pH 5.0, 300 mM NaCl, 10 mM β-mercaptoethanol). The eluted material was then dialyzed against 3 changes of PBS, sterile filtered and stored at −20° C. The purified recombinant protein was shown by SDS-PAGE analysis to be free of any significant amount of E. coli protein. A small number of bands of lower molecular weight were assumed to be proteolytic products of the L. major antigen based on their reactivity by western blot analysis. A high titre polyclonal antisera against M15 was generated in rabbits by repeated subcutaneous injection of recombinant protein. Western blot analysis of lysates from L. major promastigotes and amastigotes using this antisera indicated that the protein is constitutively expressed throughout the parasite lifecycle.

Example 2 Preparation of Ldp23

This Example illustrates the preparation of a Leishmania antigen Ldp23, having the sequence provided in SEQ ID NO:4.

A. Purification of MHC Class II-associated Peptides from P388D1 Macrophages Infected with L. donovani

To ascertain that in vitro infection of macrophages would load their MHC class II molecules with parasite peptides, initial experiments were carried out to test the ability of L. donovani-infected macrophage cell line P388D1 to present parasite antigens to L. donovani specific T-cells. This macrophage cell line was chosen because it has the same H-2 haplotype as the BALB/c mouse, which is a strain of mouse moderately susceptible to L. donovani infection and selected to conduct the in vivo experiments. Using a proportion of 3-5 parasites per cell and an initial incubation at room temperature for 4-6 hours follows by 37° C. for 24-48 hours, close to 90% of the macrophages were infected. The level of MHC class II molecule expression, as determined by FACS analysis, indicated that infection did not cause an effect on the levels of MHC class II expression when compared to non-infected control cells.

To test the ability of the L. donovani-infected P388D1 cells to present parasite antigens, macrophages were infected as indicated above and incubated at 26° C. for 6 hours, and then as 37° C. for either 24, 48 or 72 hours. At each of these time points the non-adherent cells and free parasites were washed out and the adherent cells were mechanically dislodged, washed and fixed with paraformaldehyde. These cells were then used as antigen presenting cells (APCs) for purified lymph node T-cells from BALB/c mice immunized with L. donovani promastigotes. To generate these anti-L. donovani specific T-cells, BALB/c mice (H-2^(d)) of both sexes (The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Me.) were immunized at 8 to 14 weeks of age in the rear foot pad with 5-10×10⁶ L. donovani promastigotes emulsified in complete Freünd's adjuvant (CFA) (Difco Laboratories, Madison, Mich.) as described in Rodrigues et al., Parasite Immunol. 14:49 (1992). The draining lymph nodes were excised 8 days after the immunization and T-cells were purified in an anti-mouse Ig column to remove the B cells, as described in Bunn-Moreno and Campos-Neto, J. Immunol. 127:427 (1981), followed by a passage through a Sephadex G10 column to remove the macrophages.

Stimulation index was calculated by dividing the cpm obtained for the cells cultured in the presence of infected P388D1 macrophages by the cpm obtained for the cells cultured in the presence of non-infected macrophages, but subjected to the same conditions as the infected macrophages. The results shown FIG. 1 indicate that L. donovani-infected P388D1 macrophage process parasite antigens and that optimal presentation occurs after 48 hours of infection. No stimulation of the T-cells by the non-infected macrophages was observed.

To isolate the MHC class II associated L. donovani peptides, P388D1 macrophages were infected with L. donovani promastigotes for an initial incubation of 6 hours at room temperature. The cultures were then transferred to 37° C. for the remainder of the 48 hour incubation period. At a ratio of 3-5 parasites per macrophage nearly 90% of the macrophages were infected after 24 hours of incubation at 37° C.

The MHC class II molecules were then affinity-purified. Approximately 1.5×10¹⁰ L. donovani-infected or an equal number of non-infected P388D1 macrophages were used for each purification. The cells were harvested, washed with PBS and incubated for 30 minutes in cold lysis buffer (PBS, 1% Nonidet P40, 25 mM iodoacetamide, 0.04% sodium azide, 1 mM aprotinin and 1 mM PMSF). The insoluble material was removed by centrifugation at 40,000 g for 1 hour and the supernatant was recycled overnight at 4° C. over a 5 ml anti-MHC class II molecules (H-2^(d)) Sepharose column (Protein G Sepharose column to which the monoclonal antibody MK-D6 has been bound). Culture supernatants of MK-D6 hybridoma cells (American Type Culture Collection, Rockville, Md.) were employed as the source for anti-MHC class II (H-2^(d)) monoclonal antibody. The column was washed with 50 ml of lysis buffer and then with 50 ml of PBS containing 0.5% octyl glucopyranoside detergent. Bound molecules were eluted from the column with 1M acetic acid in 0.2% NaCl. The MHC/peptide molecules were separated from the IgG (MK-D6 monoclonal antibody) using a Centricon 100 filter unit (Amicon Division, W.R. Grace & Co., Beverly, Mass.). The peptides were then dissociated from the class II molecules by the addition of acetic acid to 2.5M, followed by separation using a Centricon 10 filter unit. The resulting peptide preparation, present in the low molecular weight sample, was then dried using a speed vac concentrator (Savant Instrument Inc., Farmingdale, N.Y.).

The peptides were redissolved in 200 μl of 0.05% TFA and separated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) using a 2.1 mm×25 cm Vydac C-18 column at a flow rate of 0.15 ml/min employing a 1 to 30% acetonitrile gradient (60 min) followed by a 30 to 60% gradient (30 min) and then a 60 to 80% gradient (90-110 min). Non-infected P388D1 cells were similarly processed to serve as background control for endogenous MHC class II associated peptides. FIG. 2 shows a representative experiment; four distinct peaks which are present only in the material isolated from infected macrophages (panel B), and not in the material isolated from uninfected macrophages (panel A) are indicated.

Out of three independent peptide extractions, twenty five distinct HPLC peptide peaks were isolated from L. donovani-infected macrophages and were subjected to protein sequence analysis using automated Edman degradation on an Applied Biosystems 477 gas-phase protein sequencer. Protein sequence and amino acid analysis were performed by the W.M. Keck Foundation, Biotechnology Resource Laboratory, Yale University. New Haven, Conn. In practically all determinations, no assignment could be made for the first position. Also, in most cases the definition of the amino acid residues of the 10-15 positions was based on the quantitative dominance of one residue over others. Using this approach, the sequences obtained for several peptides showed the presence of 3-6 different residues in many of the 10-15 sequence cycles analyzed for each determination, reflecting a mixture of peptides. In addition, sequences could not be obtained for some peaks because the peptides were blocked. Notwithstanding, three peptides sequences were determined. Amino-acid sequences were searched for identity with proteins in the GenBank database using the GENPETP, PIR and SWISSPROT programs. The sequence data base analysis revealed that one of the peptides was highly homologous to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of various species. Another peptide had homology with elongation factor of several species, including Leishmania. The third sequence was not clearly related to any known proteins, and is shown below:

XQXPQ(L/K)VFDEXX (SEQ ID NO:11).

B. Cloning and Sequencing of the Ldp23 Gene

In order to retrieve the L. donovani protein that was processed into a peptide associated with the MHC class II molecules of infected macrophages, the peptide sequence of uncertain origin was chosen to guide the strategy for cloning the corresponding parasite gene. A DNA fragment was initially amplified from L. donovani promastigote cDNA by PCR. The sense primer was a peptide derived oligonucleotide (5′>GGAATTCCCCInCAGCTInGTInTTCGAC<3′) (SEQ ID NO:12) containing an EcoRI restriction endonuclease site (underlined). The bases were selected following the preferential codon usage of L. donovani, as described in Langford et al., Exp. Parasitol. 74:360 (1992). Inosine was used for the residues of positions 4, 6 and 7 because of the low codon usage assurance for the corresponding amino acids. In addition, the carboxyl-terminal L-glutamic acid was not included for the design of the primer. The antisense primer was a poly-thymidine oligonucleotide (oligo dT, downstream primer) containing a XhoI restriction endonuclease site.

The gene fragment was amplified from a L. donovani promastigote cDNA preparation using the following reaction conditions: one cycle of 3 min at 94° C. immediately followed by 35 cycles of 1 min at 94° C., 1 min at 45° C. and 1 min at 72° C. The L. donovani cDNA was prepared from 5×10⁷ washed promastigote forms harvested at the log growth phase (3 days culture). The cDNA was obtained using an Invitrogen cDNA cycle™ kit (Invitrogen Co., San Diego, Calif.). Oligonucleotide primers were synthesized by the DNA Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine.

The PCR products were analyzed by gel electrophoresis. Only one band of approximately 300 bp was obtained. This fragment was cloned and its sequence confirmed the sequence of the peptide-based primer including the glutamic acid codon, deliberately not included in the primer sequence.

The PCR amplified gene fragment was ligated into the pCR™ vector using the TA cloning system (Invitrogen Co., San Diego, Calif.). Transformants were selected in LB medium containing 100 μg/ml ampicillin and the plasmid DNA was isolated using the Wizard™ Minipreps DNA purification kit (Promega Co., Madison, Wis.). Insert DNA was released with the restriction enzymes EcoRI and XhoI (New England Biolabs, Beverly, Mass.), purified from an agarose gel electrophoresis and labeled with ³²P using a random priming method (Megaprime Labeling Kit, Amersham Life Science, Buckinghamshire, England).

This DNA fragment was used as probe to screen a L. donovani promastigote cDNA library as described in Skeiky et al., Infect. Immun. 62:1643 (1994). An approximately 650 bp cDNA (Ldp23) was excised from the phagemid by in vivo excision using the Stratagene protocol. DNA sequencing was performed using the Sequenase version 2 system (DNA sequencing kit) in the presence or absence of 7-deaza-GTP (United States Biochemical, Cleveland, Ohio). The sequence is provided as SEQ ID NO:3, and shows complete homology with the original 300 bp PCR fragment. A 525 bp open reading frame containing an ATG codon that follows the last 4 bases of the spliced leader sequence and 3 stop codons adjacent to the poly A tail was identified. This frame also codes the carboxyl terminal sequence (KVFDE) (SEQ ID NO:13) of the purified MHC class II associated peptide. The sequence analysis of the deduced protein sequence revealed one potential glycosylation site (Asn-Cys-Ser) at positions 68-70.

Sequence analysis was performed using the University of Wisconsin Genetics Computer Group Programs and the GenBank and EMBL data bases of protein and DNA sequences. The search for homology of the Ldp23 gene with known sequences revealed no significant homology.

C. Bacterial Expression and Purification of Recombinant Protein

The recombinant L. donovani peptide donor protein was produced in E. coli transformed with the pGEX 2T expression vector in which the Ldp23 gene was subcloned in frame. PCR was used to subclone the cloned gene in frame into the expression vector pGEX 2T. Primers containing the appropriate restriction site enzymes, initiation and termination codons were: 5′>GGATCCATGGTCAAGTCCCACTACATCTGC<3′ (SEQ ID NO:14) for the upstream primer and 5′>GAATTCAGACCGGATAGAAATAAGCCAATGAAA<3′ (SEQ ID NO:15) for the downstream primer (restriction sites of BamHI and EcoRI are underlined respectively). PCR conditions were as indicated above for the amplification of the original peptide related DNA fragment. The template used was pBluescript plasmid containing the cloned gene from the cDNA library.

Overexpression of the recombinant fusion protein was accomplished by growing the transformed E. coli (DH5α) and inducing the tac promoter with 1 mM isopropyl-β-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.). Cells were collected, centrifuged, and analyzed for the presence of the fusion protein by SDS-PAGE. A glutathione-S-transferase fusion protein of 43-44 kD was produced, indicating a leishmanial protein of approximately 18 kD, as glutathione-S-transferase (GST) has a MW of 26 kD. However, the fusion protein was very insoluble and therefore could not be purified by affinity chromatography using a glutathione column. The use of low concentrations of detergents like SDS, sarcosyl, deoxycolate, and octyl-glucopyranoside during the extraction steps was efficient to solubilize the protein but unfortunately prevented its binding to the glutathione column. Other maneuvers, such as the growth of the E. coli and incubation and induction of the tac promoter with IPTG at 33° C., did not improve the protein solubility. However, the purification was achieved by preparative SDS-PAGE. The band was visualized with 0.1M KCl, cut and electroeluted from the gel followed by extensive dialysis against PBS and concentration on Centricon 10 filters.

Approximately 500 μg of purified protein was obtained. The purified protein is shown in FIG. 3. In panel A, E. coli (DH5α) transformed with the expression vector pGEX 2T containing the Ldp23 gene was grown in LB medium and the tac promoter was induced with IPTG for 3 hours. The cells were pelleted, resuspended in loading buffer and submitted to SDS-PAGE (10%) under reducing condition. The gel was stained with Coomassie blue. Lane 1 shows the uninduced E. coli and land 2 shows the induced E. coli. The arrow indicates the recombinant protein. Panel B shows the protein prepared as in panel A and submitted to a preparative SDS-PAGE. The band corresponding to the overexpressed recombinant fusion protein was identified by KCl, cut out, electroeluted from the gel strip, dialyzed against PBS and submitted to analytical SDS-PAGE (12%). Numbers on the left side indicate the molecular weights of the markers. Attempts to further purify the leishmanial protein by cleaving it out from the fusion protein GST with thrombin were unsuccessful.

D. Expression of Ldp23

To ascertain that the Ldp23 peptide is expressed in Leishmania organisms, a Northern blot analysis was performed using RNA prepared from different promastigote growth phases (logarithmic and stationary) and from the amastigote form of these parasites.

The RNA was prepared from 2×10⁷ parasite cells using the Micro RNA isolation kit (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.) according to the company's recommended instructions. RNA was prepared from L. donovani promastigotes (logarithmic growth phase); from L. major promastigotes (logarithmic and stationary growth phases); from L. amazonensis, both promastigotes (logarithmic and stationary growth phases) and amastigotes purified from CBA/J infected mice; and from L. pifanoi, both promastigotes (logarithmic and stationary growth phases) and amastigotes (from axenic culture medium). L. donovani (1S strain), L. amazonensis (MHOM/BR/77/LTB0016), L. major (MHOM/IR/79/LRC-L251) and L. pifanoi (MHOM/VE/60/Ltrod) promastigotes were grown and maintained at 26° C. in Schneider's medium containing 20% FCS and 50 μg/ml gentamicin. The amastigote forms of L. amazonensis were obtained by differential centrifugation of a “pus-like” foot pad lesion of a CBA/J mouse infected for 6 months with this parasite. L. pifanoi amastigotes were obtained from axenic culture as previously reported by Pan et al., J. Euk. Microbiol. 40:213 (1993).

The hybridization was carried out at 45° C. in the presence of 50% formamide, 5×Denhardt's solution, 0.1% SDS, 100 μg/ml single stranded salmon sperm DNA and 5×SSPE using 0.45 μm Nytran membrane filters (Schleicher & Schuell, Keene, NH). The probe was the ³²P labeled Ldp23 gene.

FIG. 4 shows that one single RNA band of 680 bp was observed for all growth phases and forms of all tested Leishmania. Within FIG. 4, the numbers 1, 2 and 3 refer to RNA obtained from promastigotes at the logarithmic growth phase, promastigotes at the stationary growth phase and amastigote forms, respectively, and the numbers on the left side indicate the molecular weights of the markers in base pairs. This result is consistent with the corresponding gene size (525 bp) and with the molecular weight of the expressed protein and points to the ubiquitous distribution and expression of this gene within the genus Leishmania.

E. Induction of Anti-L. donovani Antibody Response in Mice and Rabbits by Purified Recombinant Protein

In order to evaluate the immunogenicity of the recombinant leishmanial protein, and to investigate its expression in the parasites, mice and rabbits were immunized with the GST-fusion protein in CFA. BALB/c mice were immunized in the rear foot pad with 5-10 μg of protein emulsified in CFA. Protein concentration was determined using the Bio-Rad Protein Assay reagent (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Richmond, Calif.). The mice were boosted 7 days later with 5-10 μg of protein emulsified in incomplete Freünd's adjuvant (IFA) inoculated into the peritoneal cavity. The mice were bled 7 days after the second immunization. New Zealand white rabbits (Millbrook Farm, Amherst, Mass.) were immunized according to the following protocol: one intra-muscular (IM) injection of 25-30 μg of purified recombinant protein emulsified in CFA into each thigh on day one; one IM injection of 25-30 μg of purified protein emulsified in IFA into each shoulder on day 7; on day 15, 25-30 μg of the purified protein in PBS was injected into the subcutaneous tissue. The rabbit was bled 7 days after the last immunization.

Sera were prepared and the anti-Leishmania antibody response was measured by Western blot analysis and by FACScan. In both cases L. donovani promastigotes were used as antigen. Approximately 2×10⁶ L. donovani promastigotes were grown in Schneider's medium for 3 days (log phase), were washed with PBS, lysed with SDS-PAGE loading buffer and submitted to electrophoresis under reducing conditions using a 15% polyacrylamide gel. The proteins were transferred onto 0.45μ Immobilon-P transfer membrane (Millipore Co., Bedford, Mass.) using a wet-type electroblotter (Mini Trans-Blot Electrophoretic Transfer Cell, Bio Rad Life Science Division, Richmond, Calif.) for 2 hours at 50 V. The membranes were blocked overnight at room temperature with PBS containing 3% normal goat serum (NGS), 0.2% Tween-20 and 0.05% sodium azide, followed by 3 washes with PBS. The blots were then incubated for 3-4 hours at 4° C. with a 1/200 dilution of pre-immune rabbit serum (lane A, FIG. 5) or with the same dilution of anti-fusion protein rabbit antiserum (lane B, FIG. 5). The sera was previously absorbed 2× with non-viable desiccated Mycobacterium tuberculosis H-37 RA (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.) and were diluted in PBS containing 1% NGS and 5% powdered non-fat bovine milk (Carnation, Nestlé Food Company, Glendale, Calif.). The membranes were then washed with PBS, incubated for 1 hour at room temperature with goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody conjugated with alkaline phosphatase (Promega, Madison, Wis.), washed once with PBS and 2× with veronal buffer pH 9.4. The reaction was visualized using the substrate mixture 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indoyl-phosphate and nitroblue tetrazolium (Kirkegaard & Perry Laboratories Inc., Gaithersburg, Md.) according to the manufacturer's instructions.

FIG. 5 shows that the rabbit anti-recombinant protein antiserum detects a single protein of 23 kDa (Ldp23) in the Leishmania crude extract antigen preparation. No bands were observed when an anti-GST antiserum was used (not shown). Moreover, the FACScan analysis (FIG. 6) shows that the antibody induced by the recombinant Ldp23 reacts with intact live L. donovani promastigotes, thus pointing to a cell surface expression of this molecule on these organisms. The dotted line in FIG. 6 shows the indirect immunofluorescence performed using pre-immune mouse serum and the solid line in FIG. 6 shows the result obtained with mouse anti-GST-Ldp23 antiserun. Both sera were diluted at 1/100. Parasites were washed with staining buffer and incubated with FITC conjugated goat anti-mouse immunoglobulin antibody. Fluorescence intensity was analyzed by FACScan.

F. Recognition of Recombinant Ldp23 by Leishmania-Specific Lymph Node T-cells

To test the responsiveness of T-cells to the Ldp23 protein, two sets of experiments were performed. In the first experiment, lymph node T-cells (10⁵/well) from BALB/c mice immunized with L. donovani promastigotes (as described above) were stimulated to proliferate with 2×10⁵ Mitomycin C-treated normal mononuclear spleen cells (APC) and pulsed with the purified recombinant fusion protein. Proliferation of T-cells was measured at 72 hours of culture. Values are expressed in FIG. 7 as cpm and represent the mean of [³H]TdR incorporation of triplicate cultures. Background cpm of cells (T cells+APC) cultured in the presence of medium alone was 1291. FIG. 7 shows that Leishmania specific T-cells proliferate well and in a dose response manner to recombinant Ldp23. No response was observed when purified GST was added instead of the recombinant fusion protein nor when lymph node T-cells from mice immunized with CFA alone were stimulated to proliferate in the presence of the Leishmanial fusion protein (not shown).

The recognition of the recombinant Ldp23 protein by Leishmania-specific T-cells was also tested using two murine models of leishmaniasis, the L. major highly susceptible BALB/c mice and the L. amazonensis susceptible CBA/J mice as described in Champsi and McMahon-Pratt, Infect. Immun. 56:3272 (1988). These models were selected to investigate the cytokine pattern induced by Ldp23. In the mouse model of leishmaniasis, resistance is associated with Th 1 cytokines while susceptibility is linked to Th 2 responses.

Lymph node cells were obtained 3 weeks after the initiation of infection of BALB/c mice with L. major and the ability of these cells to recognize the recombinant Ldp23 was measured by proliferation and by the production of the cytokines IFN-γ and IL-4. 2×10⁶ cells obtained from the draining popliteal lymph node of infected mice were cultured for 72 hours in the presence of recombinant Ldp23 or Leishmania lysate. The levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 in culture supernatants were measured by ELISA as previously described (Chatelain et al., J. Immunol. 148:1172 (1992), Curry et al., J. Immunol. Meth. 104:137 (1987), and Mossman and Fong, J. Immunol. Meth. 116:151 (1989)) using specific anti IFN-γ and IL-4 monoclonal antibodies (PharMingen, San Diego, Calif.).

Ldp23 did stimulate these cells to proliferate (not shown) and induced a typical Th 1 type of cytokine response as indicated by the production of high levels of IFN-γ (panel A of FIG. 8) and no IL-4 (panel B of FIG. 8). Stimulation of these cells with a Leishmania crude lysate yielded a mixed Th cytokine profile. Exactly the same pattern of cytokine production was obtained from the CBA/J mice infected with L. amazonensis (not shown). These results clearly indicate that Ldp23 is a powerful and selective activator of the Th 1 cytokines by mouse cells.

Example 3 Preparation of Hsp83

This Example illustrates the preparation of a Leishmania antigen Hsp83, having the sequence provided in SEQ ID NO:6.

A genomic expression library was constructed with sheared DNA from L. braziliensis (MHOM/BR/75/M2903) in bacteriophage λZAP II (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.). The expression library was screened with Escherichia coli preadsorbed serum from an L. braziliensis-infected individual with ML. Immunoreactive plaques were purified, and the pBSK(−) phagemid was excised by protocols suggested by the manufacturer. Nested deletions were performed with exonuclease III to generate overlapping deletions for single-stranded template preparations and sequencing. Single-stranded templates were isolated following infection with VCSM13 helper phage as recommended by the manufacturer (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.) and sequenced by the dideoxy chain terminator method or by the Taq dye terminator system using the Applied Biosystems automated sequencer model 373A.

Recombinant antigens produced by these clones were purified from 500 ml of isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)-induced cultures as described in Skeiky et al., J. Exp. Med. 176:201-211 (1992). These antigens were then assayed for the ability to stimulate PBMC from Leishmania-infected individuals to proliferate and secrete cytokine. Peripheral blood was obtained from individuals living in an area (Corte de Pedra, Bahia, Brazil) where L. braziliensis is endemic and where epidemiological, clinical, and immunological studies have been performed for over a decade, and PBMC were isolated from whole blood by density centrifugation through Ficoll (Winthrop Laboratories, New York, N.Y.). For in vitro proliferation assays, 2×10⁵ to 4×10⁵ cells per well were cultured in complete medium (RPMI 1640 supplemented with gentamicin, 2-mercaptoethanol, L-glutamine, and 10% screened pooled A+ human serum; Trimar, Hollywood, Calif.) in 96-well flat-bottom plates with or without 10 μg of the indicated antigens per ml or 5 μg of phytohemagglutinin per ml (Sigma Immunochemicals, St. Louis, Mo.) for 5 days. The cells were then pulsed with 1 μCi of [³H]thymidine for the final 18 h of culture. For determination of cytokine production 0.5 to 1 ml of PBMC was cultured at 1×10⁶ to 2×10⁶ cells per ml with or without the Leishmania antigens for 48 and 72 h.

The supernatants and cells were harvested and analyzed for secreted cytokine or cytokine mRNAs. Aliquots of the supernatants were assayed for gamma interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and IL-10 as escribed in Skeiky et al., J. Exp. Med. 181:1527-1537 (1995). For cytokine mRNA PCR analysis, total RNA was isolated from PBMC and cDNA was synthesized by using poly(dT) (Pharmacia, Piscataway, N.J.) and avian mycloblastosis virus reverse transcriptase. Following normalization to β-actin, diluted cDNA was amplified by PCR using Taq polymerase (Perkin-Elmer Cetus, Foster City, Calif.) with 0.2 mM concentrations of the respective 5′ and 3′ external primers in a reaction volume of 50 μl. The nucleotide sequences of the primary pairs and the PCR conditions used were as described in Skeiky et al., J. Exp. Med. 181:1527-1537 (1995). We verified that our PCR conditions were within the semiquantitative range by initially performing serial dilutions of the cDNAs and varying the number of cycles used for PCR. Plasmids containing the human sequences for IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10, and β-actin were digested, and the DNA inserts were purified after separation on 1% agarose gels. Radiolabeled ³²P probes were prepared by the random priming method. PCR products were analyzed by electrophoresis on 1.5% agarose gels, transferred to nylon membranes, and probed with the appropriate ³²P-labeled DNA insert.

A recombinant clone was identified in the above assays which, following sequence comparison of its predicted amino acid sequence with sequences of other proteins, was identified as a Leishmania braziliensis homolog of the eukaryotic 83 kD heat shock protein (Lbhsp83). The sequence of the clone is provided in SEQ ID NO:5 and the deduced protein sequence is provided in SEQ ID NO:6. On the basis of the homology, this clone, designated Lbhsp83a, appears to lack the first 47 residues of the full length 703 amino acid residues. Lbhsp83 has an overall homology of 94% (91% identity and 3% conservative substitution), 91% (84% identity and 7% conservative substitution) and 77% (61% identity and 16% conservative substitution) with L. amazonensis hsp83, T. cruzi hsp83 and human hsp89, respectively. A second clone (designated Lbhsp83b), which contained the 43 kD C-terminal portion of hsp83 (residues 331 to 703) was also isolated. FIG. 19 presents a comparison of the Lbhsp83 sequence with L. amazonensis hsp83(Lahsp83), T. cruzi hsp83 (Tchsp83) and human hsp89 (Huhsp89).

The results of proliferation assays using Lbhsp83a are shown in Table 1. Cells from all mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) patients proliferated strongly in response to Lbhsp83a, with stimulation indices (SIs) ranging from 19 to 558 (as compared to 20 to 1,634 for parasite lysate). Proliferation of PBMC from cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) patients was variable and except for levels in two patients (IV and VII), levels were significantly lower than those of ML patients. By comparison, the proliferative responses of individuals with self-healing CL to Lbhsp83a were similar to those of individuals with ML. However, the responses of all six self-healing individuals to Lbhsp83 were consistently higher than those to Lbhsp83b. This suggests that PBMC from self-healing CL patients preferentially recognize one or more T-cell epitopes located within the amino portion of Lbhsp83.

TABLE 1 In vitro Proliferation of PMBC from L. braziliensis-infected Individuals in Response to Lbhsp83 Mean [³H] thymidine Group and incorporation [10³ cpm (SD)], SI with: Patient Lysate Lbhsp83a Lbhsp83b ML I 41.3, (1.3), 294 32.5, (6.6), 221 46.7, (1.4), 318 II 44.2, (0.5), 104 20, (3.7), 47 36.7, (0.76), 86 III 27.4, (1.5), 150 8.1, (1.7), 44 9.9, (0.32), 54 IV 52.7, (3.3), 138 54.1, (6.2), 142 32.0, (1.3), 84 V 140.6, (7.6), 308 151.8, (57), 333 150.4, (7.9), 331 VI 15.8, (1.8), 20 21.3, (4.4), 28 14.4, (1.3), 19 VII 300.1, (9.4), 1634 102.1, (7.6), 558 41.7, (4.9), 228 CL I 0.26, (0.0), 1.5 0.57, (0.3), 3.3 0.43, (0.17), 3.3 II 55.63, (8.6), 218 0.42, (0.0), 1.6 0.8, (0.14), 3.2 III 0.39, (0.5), 4.0 3.4, (0.5), 9 2.6, (0.9), 6.6 IV 19.14, (1.3), 87 7.17, (0.6), 32 5.9, (0.9), 27 V 0.32, (0.2), 3.0 1.47, (0.5), 14 0.3, (0.1), 3.0 VI 0.77, (0.1), 4.7 1.44, (0.2), 9 1.3, (0.6), 8.0 VII 4.01, (1.0), 2.0 60.3, (8.5), 15 66.7, (3.9), 16.6 Self-healing CL I 19.7, (4.4), 94 61.3, (4.6), 293 5.0, (2.0), 24 II 0.6, (0.1), 6.5 7.0, (2.0), 79 1.2, (0.8), 13 III 59.6, (7.1), 519 49.4, (3.1), 429 21.4, (3.7), 186 IV 0.2, (0.1), 1.6 13.1, (1.7), 108 0.6, (0.1), 5 V 27.1, (2.0), 225 6.3, (2.6), 52 3.0, (1.5), 25 VI 130.3, (14), 340 28.2, (2.9), 74 7.7, (3.8), 20 Control (uninfected) I 0.19, (0.0), 1.4 0.18, (0.0), 1.3 0.40, (0.16), 2.8 II 0.31, (0.1), 1.7 0.19, (0.0), 1.0 0.27, (0.0), 1.5 III 0.44, (0.2), 4.1 0.48, (0.1), 5.0 0.51, (0.2), 5.2 IV 0.4, (0.1), 3.2 0.52, (0.2), 5.1 0.50, (0.1), 5.0

A more detailed analysis of cytokine patterns of PBMC from ML patients was performed by reverse transcriptase PCR. Cytokine mRNAs were evaluated in cells prior to culturing (FIG. 9, lanes O) or following culturing in the absence (lanes-) or presence of the indicated antigen for 48 and 72 h. FIG. 4A shows the results for five of the six ML patients whose PBMC were analyzed. In about half of the ML patients, noncultured (resting) PBMC had detectable levels of mRNA for IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-4 but not IL-10. CL patient PBMC, however, had IL-10 mRNA in the resting state in addition to mRNAs for the other cytokines tested (FIG. 4B). Following in vitro culture without antigen, the levels of mRNA for IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-4 in resting cells from ML patients decreased to background levels while IL-10 mRNA levels increased. In contrast, PBMC of most CL patients had stable or increased IL-10 mRNA, while the mRNAs for IL-2, IFN-γ, and IL-4 were reduced to barely detectable levels in the absence of antigen stimulation.

In PBMC of three ML patients, stimulation with lysate resulted in increased expression of mRNA for IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-4 but not IL-10. By comparison, both Lbhsp83 polypeptides elicited the production of mRNA for IFN-γand IL-2 from all ML patient PBMC tested. In contrast, profiles of mRNA for IL-10 and IL-4 differed for the two hsp83 polypeptides. Lbhsp83a stimulated the production of IL-10 but not IL-4 mRNA (patients I, II, III, and IV), while Lbhsp83b stimulated the production of IL-4 but not IL-10 mRNA in all six patients.

All CL patients tested responded to both Lbhsp83 polypeptides as well as to the parasite lysate by upregulating the synthesis of mRNAs for IL-2 and IFN-γ, and in two of four patients (I and IV), the level of IL-4 mRNA also increased, indicating stimulation of both Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Interestingly and as in the case of ML patient uncultured PBMC which did not have detectable levels of IL-10 mRNA, Lbhsp83a and not Lbhsp83b stimulated PBMC from one CL patient (IV) to synthesize IL-10 mRNA. However, in the other three patients (I, II, and III) with resting levels of IL-10 mRNA, both rLbhsp83 polypeptides as well as the parasite lysate downregulated the expression of IL-10 mRNA.

PBMC supernatants were also assayed for the presence of secreted IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-10. Cells from all ML and self-healing CL patients (seven and six patients, respectively) and from four of seven CL patients were analyzed for secreted IFN-γ following stimulation with both rLbhsp83 polypeptides, parasite lysate and Lbhsp70, an L. braziliensis protein homologous to the eukaryotic 70 kD heat shock protein (FIG. 10A). In general, rLbhsp83a stimulated patient PBMC to secrete higher levels of IFN-γ than did rLbhsp83b (0.2 to 36 and 0.13 to 28 ng/ml, respectively). The presence of secreted IFN-γ correlated well with the corresponding mRNA detected by PCR.

PBMC from four of five ML patients (I, II, V, and VII) had supernatant TNF-α levels (0.8 to 2.2 ng/ml) higher than those detected in cultures of PBMC from uninfected controls following stimulation with parasite lysate (FIG. 10B). Similarly, the same PBMC were stimulated by rLbhsp83 to produce levels of TNF-α in supernatant ranging from 0.61 to 2.9 ng/ml. Compared with those of uninfected controls, PBMC from three (I, V, and VI), five (I, II, IV, V, and VI), and two (II and V) of six individuals analyzed produced higher levels of TNF-α in response to parasite lysate, rLbhsp83a, and rLbhsp83b, respectively. The levels of TNF-α produced by PBMC from CL patients in response to parasite lysate were comparable to those produced by uninfected controls. However, rLbhsp83 stimulated TNF-α production in the PBMC of two of these patients. rLbhsp83a stimulated higher levels of TNF-α production than did rLbhsp83b. In the absence of antigen stimulation, only PBMC from ML patients (five of six) produced detectable levels of supernatant TNF-α (60 to 190 pg/ml).

In agreement with the IL-10 mRNA, IL-10 was detected by ELISA in the antigen-stimulated PMBC culture supernatants from ML and CL patients. The levels (49 to 190 pg) were significantly higher (up to 10-fold) following stimulation with rLbhsp83a compared with those after parallel stimulation of the same cells with rLbhsp83b (FIG. 11). Parasite lysate also stimulated PMBC from some of the patients to produce IL-10. Although rLbhsp83 stimulated PMBC from uninfected individuals to produce IL-10, with one exception, the levels were lower than those observed with patient PMBC. IL-4 was not detected in any of the supernatants analyzed. Therefore, the level of any secreted IL-4 is below the detection limit of the ELISA employed (50 pg/ml). Taken together, the results demonstrate that a predominant Th1-type cytokine profile is associated with PMBC from L. braziliensis-infected individuals following stimulation with rLbhsp83 polypeptides.

To determine the correlation between the observed T-cell responses and antibody production to Lbhsp83, we compared the antibody (immunoglobulin G) reactivities to Lbhsp83 in sera from the three patient groups (FIG. 12). The ELISA reactivities of ML patient sera with rLbhsp83a were comparable to those observed with parasite lysate, and in general, there was a direct correlation between ML patient anti-Lbhsp83 antibody titer and T-cell proliferation. Of 23 serum samples from ML patients analyzed, 22 were positive (˜96%) with absorbance values of 0.20 to >3.0. Eleven of the ML patient serum samples had optical density values that were >1. In general, CL patients had significantly lower anti-Lbhsp83 antibody titers (=0.74; standard error of the mean [SEM]=0.1) compared to those of ML patients. Therefore, ML and CL patient anti-rhsp83 antibody titers correlated with their respective T-cell proliferative responses. Anti-rLbhsp83 antibody titers were significantly higher in patients with ML (=1.5; SEM=0.2) than in self-healing CL patients (=0.35; SEM=0.056), although their T-cell proliferative responses were similar. In fact, anti-Lbhsp83 antibody titers in serum from self-healing CL patients were comparable to those from uninfected controls (=0.24; SEM=0.028). By using 2 standard deviations greater than the mean absorbance value of uninfected control (0.484) as a criterion for positive reactivity to Lbhsp83, eight of nine of the self-healing patient serum samples tested were negative.

Example 4 Preparation of Clones Encoding Lt-210

This Example illustrates the preparation of clones encoding portions of the Leishmania antigen Lt-210, and which has the sequence provided in SEQ ID NO:8.

An expression library was constructed from L. tropica (MHOM/SA/91/WR1063C) genomic DNA. The DNA was isolated by solubilizing L. tropica promastigotes in 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.3, 50 mM EDTA, 1% SDS and treating with 100 μg/ml RNaseA and 100 μg/ml proteinase K. The sample was then sequentially extracted with an equal volume of phenol, phenol: chloroform (1:1), and Chloroform. DNA was precipitated by adding 0.1 volume of 3M sodium acetate (pH 5.2) and 2.5 volume 95% ethanol. The precipitate was resuspended in 10 μM Tris, 1 mM EDTA. DNA was sheared by passage through a 30-gauge needle to a size range of 2-6 kilobase, and was repaired by incubation with DNA poll in the presence of 100 μM each dATP, dCTP, dGTP, and dTTP. EcoRI adapters were ligated to the DNA fragments. After removal of unligated adapters by passage over a G-25 Sephadex™ column, the fragments were inserted in EcoRI cut Lambda ZapII (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.).

Approximately 43,000 pfu were plated and screened with sera isolated from viscerotropic leishmaniasis (VTL) patients. Sera from VTL patients were received from Drs. M. Grogl and A. Magill. The VTL patient group included eight individuals from whom parasites were isolated and cultured, seven of which had confirmed infection with L. tropica. Four other patients were culture negative, but were still considered to be infected based on either PCR analysis or a positive monoclonal antibody smear (Dr. Max Grogl, personal communication). Serum samples from the 11 infected patients were pooled and anti-E. Coli reactivity removed by affinity chromatography (Sambrook et al., supra, p. 12.27-12.28). Lambda phage expressing reactive proteins were detected after antibody binding by protein A-horseradish peroxidase and ABTS substrate.

Three clones, Lt-1, Lt-2, and Lt-3, containing a portion of the Lt-210 gene were identified and purified. The clones ranged in size from 1.4 to 3.3 kb and encoded polypeptides of 75 kD, 70 kD, and 120 kD, respectively. These three clones contain partial sequences of the Lt-210 gene. Lt-1 and Lt-2 are overlapping clones and were chosen for further study.

The DNA sequences of Lt-1 and Lt-2 were determined. Exonuclease III digestion was used to create overlapping deletions of the clones (Heinikoff, Gene 28:351-359, 1984). Single strand template was prepared and the sequence determined with Applied Biosystems Automated Sequencer model 373A or by Sanger dideoxy sequencing. The sequence on both strands of the coding portion of Lt-1 clone was determined. The partial sequence of one strand of Lt-2 clone was determined.

SEQ ID NO:7 presents the DNA sequence of Lt-1, and SEQ ID NO:8 provides the predicted amino acid sequence of the open reading frame. The DNA sequence of the coding portion of the Lt-1 clone includes a repeated nucleotide sequence at the 5′ portion of the clone containing eight copies of a 99 bp repeat, three copies of a 60 bp repeat unit, which is part of the larger 99 bp repeat, and 800 bp of non-repeat sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence of the 99 bp repeat contains limited degeneracies. The mass of the predicted recombinant protein is 67,060 Daltons. A database search of PIR with the predicted amino acid sequence of the open reading frame yielded no significant homology to previously submitted sequences. Predicted secondary structure of the repeat portion of the clone is entirely α-helical.

Sequence analysis of Lt-2 revealed that the 3′ portion of the clone consisted of a mixture of 60 and 99 bp repeats that were identical, excepting occasional degeneracies, to the 60 and 99 bp repeats observed in Lt-1. Collectively, the sequencing data suggest that Lt-1 and Lt-2 are different portions of the same gene, Lt-2 being upstream of Lt-1, with possibly a small overlap.

Hybridization analysis confirmed that rLt-2 and rLt-1 contain overlapping sequences. Genomic DNAs of various Leishmania species were restricted with a variety of enzymes, separated by agarose gel electrophoresis, and blotted on Nytran membrane filter (Schleicher & Schuell, Keene, N.H.). Inserts from rLt-1 and rLt-2 were labeled with ³²P-CTP by reverse transcriptase from random oligonucleotide primers and used as probes after separation from unincorporated nucleotides on a Sephadex G-50 column. Hybridizations using the rLt-1 or the rLt-2 probe are performed in 0.2M NaH₂PO₄/3.6 M NaCl at 65° C., whereas hybridization using the rLt-1r probe is performed in 0.2 M NaH₂PO₄/3.6 M NaCl/0.2 M EDTA at 60° C. overnight. Filters are washed in 0.075 M NaCl/0.0075 M sodium citrate pH 7.0 (0.15 M NaCl/0.0150 M sodium citrate for the Lt-1r probe), plus 0.5% SDS at the same temperature as hybridization.

Genomic DNA from a number of Leishmania species including L. tropica were analyzed by Southern blots as described above using the Lt-1, Lt-2, and Lt-1r inserts separately as probes. Collectively, various digests of L. tropica DNA indicate that this gene has a low copy nunber. A similar, overlapping pattern was observed using either the Lt-1 or Lt-2 insert as a probe, consistent with the premise that these two clones contain sequences near or overlapping one another. In addition, sequences hybridizing with these clones are present in other Leishmania species.

L. tropica isolates have limited heterogeneity. Southern analyses of digested genomic DNA from four L. tropica parasite strains isolated from VTL patients and three L. tropica parasite strains isolated from CL cases (two human, one canine) were performed. The Lt-1r insert described below was labeled and used as a probe. The seven different L. tropica isolates yielded similar intensities and restriction patterns, with only a single restriction fragment length polymorphism among the isolates. These data, along with Southern analyses with additional enzymes, indicate limited heterogeneity in this region among the L. tropica isolates.

The recombinant proteins of Lt-1 and Lt-2 were expressed and purified. The nested deletion set of Lt-1 formed for sequencing included a clone referred to as Lt-1r, which contains one and one-third repeats. This polypeptide was also expressed and purified. In vivo excision of the pBluescript SK⁻ phagemid from Lambda Zap II was performed according to the manufacturer's protocol. Phagemid virus particles were used to infect E. coli XL-1 Blue. Production of protein was induced by the addition of IPTG. Protein was recovered by first lysing pellets of induced bacteria in buffer (LB, 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, 100 mM NaCl, 10 mM EDTA) using a combination of lysozyme (750 μg/mL) and sonication. rLt-1, rLt-2, and rLt-1r, were recovered from the inclusion bodies after solubilization in 8M urea (rLt-1 and rLt-2) or 4M urea (rLt-1r). Proteins rLt-1 and rLt-2 were enriched and separated by precipitation with 25%-40% ammonium sulfate and rLt-1r was enriched by precipitation with 10%-25% ammonium sulfate. The proteins were further purified by preparative gel electrophoresis in 10% SDS-PAGE. Recombinant proteins were eluted from the gels and dialyzed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Concentration was measured by the Pierce (Rockford, Ill.) BCA assay, and purity assessed by Coomassie blue staining after SDS-PAGE.

Example 5 Preparation of Lbeif4A

This example illustrates the molecular cloning of a DNA sequence encoding the L. braziliensis ribosomal antigen LbeIF4A.

A genomic expression library was constructed with sheared DNA from L. braziliensis (MHOM/BR/75/M2903) in bacteriophage λZAPII (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.). The expression library was screened with E. coli-preadsorbed patient sera from an L. braziliensis-infected individual with mucosal leishmaniasis. Plaques containing immunoreactive recombinant antigens were purified, and the pBSK(−) phagemid excised using the manufacturer's protocols. Nested deletions were performed with Exonuclease III to generate overlapping deletions for single stranded template preparations and sequencing. Single stranded templates were isolated following infection with VCSM13 helper phage as recommended by the manufacturer (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.) and sequenced by the dideoxy chain terminator method or by the Taq dye terminator system using the Applied Biosystems Automated Sequencer Model 373A.

The immunoreactive recombinant antigens were then analyzed in patient T-cell assays for their ability to stimulate a proliferative and cytokine production, as described in Examples 7 and 8 below.

A recombinant clone was identified in the above assays which, following sequence comparison of its predicted amino acid sequence with sequences of other proteins, was identified as a Leishmania braziliensis homolog of the eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A). The isolated clone (pLeIF.1) lacked the first 48 amino acid residues (144 nucleotides) of the full length protein sequence. The pLeIF.1 insert was subsequently used to isolate the full length genomic sequence.

SEQ ID NO:9 shows the entire nucleotide sequence of the full-length LbeIF4A polypeptide. The open reading frame (nucleotides 115 to 1323) encodes a 403 amino acid protein with a predicted molecular weight of 45.3 kD. A comparison of the predicted protein sequence of LbeIF4A with the homologous proteins from tobacco (TeIF4A), mouse (MeIF4A), and yeast (YeIF4A) shows extensive sequence homology, with the first 20-30 amino acids being the most variable. The lengths (403, 413, 407, and 395 amino acids), molecular weights (45.3, 46.8, 46.4, and 44.7 kDa), and isoelectric points (5.9, 5.4, 5.5, and 4.9) of LbeIF4A, TeIF4A, MeIF4A and YeIF4A, respectively, are similar. LbeIF4A shows an overall homology of 75.5% (57% identity, 18.5% conservative substitution) with TeIF4A, 68.6% (50% identity, 18.6% conservative substitution) with MeIF4A and 67.2% (47.6% identity, 19.6% conservative substitution) with YeIF4A.

Example 6 Preparation of Soluble Leshmania Antigens

This Example illustrates the preparation of soluble Leishmania antigens from an L. major culture supernatant. L. major promastigotes were grown to late log phase in complex medium with serum until they reached a density of 2-3×10⁷ viable organisms per mL of medium. The organisms were thoroughly washed to remove medium components and resuspended at 2-3×10⁷ viable organisms per mL of defined serum-free medium consisting of equal parts RPMI 1640 and medium 199, both from Gibco BRL, Gaithersburg, Md. After 8-12 hours, the supernatant was removed, concentrated 10 fold and dialyzed against phosphate-buffered saline for 24 hours. Protein concentration was then determined and the presence of at least eight different antigens confirmed by SDS-PAGE. This mixture is referred to herein as “soluble Leishmania antigens.”

Example 7 Comparison of Interleukin-4 and Interferon-γ Production Stimulated by Leishmania Antigens

This Example illustrates the immunogenic properties of the antigens prepared according to Examples 1, 2, 5 and 6, as determined by their ability to stimulate IL-4 and IFN-γ in lymph node cultures from infected mice and in human PBMC preparations. Lymph node cultures for use in these studies were prepared from L. major-infected BALB/c mice 10 days after infection, as described in Example 2. PBMC were prepared using peripheral blood obtained from individuals with cured L. donovani infections who were immunologically responsive to Leishmania. Diagnosis of the patients was made by clinical findings associated with at least one of the following: isolation of parasite from lesions, a positive skin test with Leishmania lysate or a positive serological test. Uninfected individuals were identified based on a lack of clinical signs or symptoms, a lack of history of exposure or travel to endemic areas, and the absence of a serological or cellular response to Leishmania antigens. Peripheral blood was collected and PBMC isolated by density centrifugation through FiColl™ (Winthrop Laboratories, New York).

Culture supernatants were assayed for the levels of secreted IL-4 and IFN-γ. IFN-γ was quantitated by a double sandwich ELISA using mouse anti-human IFN-γ mAb (Chemicon, Temucula, Calif.) and polyclonal rabbit anti-human IFN-γ serum. Human rIFN-γ (Genentech Inc., San Francisco, Calif.) was used to generate a standard curve. IL-4 was quantitated in supernatants by a double sandwich ELISA using a mouse anti-human IL-4 mAb (M1) and a polyclonal rabbit anti-human IL-4 sera (P3). Human IL-4 (Immunex Corp., Seattle, Wash.) was used to generate a standard curve ranging from 50 pg/ml to 1 ng/ml.

FIGS. 13A and 13B, illustrate the mean level of secreted IL-4 and IFN-γ, respectively, 72 hours after addition of 10 μg/mL of each of the following antigens to a lymph node culture prepared as described above: soluble Leishmania antigen (i.e., an extract prepared from ruptured promastigotes which contains membrane and internal antigens (SLA)), Ldp23, LbeIF4A (LeIF), Lbhsp83, M15 and LmeIF (the L. major homolog of LbeIF4A). The levels of secreted IL-4 and IFN-γ in medium alone (i.e., unstimulated) are also shown. While SLA elicits a predominantly Th2 response from lymph node cells of Leishmania-infected mice, Ldp23, LbeIF4A, Lbhsp83 and M15 elicited relatively little IL-4 and large amounts of IFN-γ, consistent with a Th1 response profile.

FIG. 14 shows the level of secreted IFN-γ in culture filtrate from infected and uninfected human PBMC preparations 72 hours after addition of 10 μg/mL L. major lysate, M15 or L-Rack, an immunodominant leishmanial antigen in murine leishmaniasis. Similarly, FIG. 15 illustrates the level of secreted IFN-γ in culture filtrate from infected and uninfected human PBMC preparations 72 hours after addition of 10 μg/mL L. major lysate, soluble Leishmania antigens (prepared as described in Example 6) or L-Rack. These results indicate that M15 and soluble Leishmania antigens, but not L-Rack, are potent stimulators of IFN-γ production in patient PBMC, but not in PBMC obtained from uninfected individuals. Thus, M15 and soluble Leishmania antigens elicit a dominant Th1 cytokine profile in both mice and humans infected with Leishmania.

Example 8 Comparison of Proliferation Stimulated by Leishmania Antigens

This Example illustrates the immunogenic properties of the antigens prepared according to Examples 1, 2, 5 and 6, as determined by their ability to stimulate proliferation in lymph node cultures from infected mice and in human PBMC preparations.

For in vitro proliferation assays, 2-4×10⁵ cells/well were cultured in complete medium (RPMI 1640 supplemented with gentamycin, 2-ME, L-glutamine, and 10% screened pooled A+ human serum; Trimar, Hollywood, Calif.) in 96-well flat bottom plates with or without 10 μg/ml of the indicated antigens or 5 μg/ml PHA (Sigma Immunochemicals, St. Louis, Mo.) for five days. The cells were then pulsed with 1 μCi of [³H] thymidine for the final 18 hours of culture.

FIG. 16 illustrates the proliferation observed after addition of 10 μg/mL or 20 μg/mL of each of the following antigens to a lymph node culture prepared as described in Example 7: SLA, Ldp23, LbeIF4A, Lbhsp83, and M15. The level of proliferation without the addition of antigen is also shown. Data are represented as mean cpm. These results demonstrate that a variety of leishmanial antigens are capable of stimulatory lymph node cell proliferation from Leishmania-infected mice.

FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate the proliferation observed in human PBMC preparations from Leishmania-immune and uninfected individuals following the addition of 10 μg/mL M15 and soluble Leishmania antigens, respectively. These values are compared to the proliferation observed following the addition of culture medium, L. major lysate or L-Rack. The results show that M15 and soluble Leishmania antigens stimulate proliferation in Leishmania-immune PBMC, but not in PBMC obtained from uninfected individuals, demonstrating that M15 and soluble antigens (but not L-Rack) are recognized by PBMC from individuals immune to Leishmania due to a previous infection.

Example 9 Preparation of Lmsp1a and Lmsp9a

This Example illustrates the preparation of two soluble Leishmania antigens, Lmsp1a and Lmsp9a.

A. Purification of Lmsp1a and Lmsp9a from a Mixture of Soluble L. major Antigens

A high titer rabbit sera was raised against L. major soluble antigens, prepared as described above in Example 6. Specifically, a New Zealand white rabbit was immunized subcutaneously at multiple sites with 180 μg of L. major soluble antigens in a suspension containing 100 μg muramyl dipeptide and 50% incomplete Freund's adjuvant. Six weeks later the rabbit was given a subcutaneous boost of 100 μg of the same soluble antigen preparation in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. This was followed by two intravenous boosts spaced two weeks apart, each with 100 μg of the soluble antigen preparation. Sera was collected from the rabbit 11 days after the final boost.

Anti E. coli antibody reactivities were removed from the rabbit sera by pre-adsorbing on nitrocellulose filters containing lysed E. coli. Adsorbed sera were evaluated by Western blot analysis using 10 μg Leishmania promastigote lysate (lane 1) and 1 μg soluble L. major antigen mixture (lane 2). As shown in FIG. 20, the rabbit sera was found to be reactive with seven dominant antigens of the soluble L. major antigen mixture with molecular weights ranging from 18 to >200 kDa. A four times longer exposure of the same blot revealed three additional immunoreactive species with molecular weights less than 18 kDa. The same sera reacted with approximately 10 antigens of the promastigote lysate, but with a pattern significantly different from that observed with the soluble L. major antigens (FIG. 20). This is suggestive of potential post-translational modification of the same antigen before (intracellular localization) and after secretion/shedding. Such modifications may include cleavage of a leader sequence and/or the addition of carbohydrate molecules to the secreted/shed antigens.

The rabbit sera described above was subsequently used to screen an L. major cDNA expression library prepared from L. major promastigote RNA using the unidirectional Lambda ZAP (uni-ZAP) kit (Stratagene) according to the manufacturer's protocol. A total of 70,000 pfu of the amplified cDNA library was screened with the rabbit sera at a 1:250 dilution. Nineteen positive clones were confirmed in the tertiary screening. The phagemid were excised and DNA from each of the 19 clones was sequenced using a Perkin Elmer/Applied Biosystems Division automated sequencer Model 373A. All 19 clones were found to represent two distinct sequences, referred to as Lmsp1a and Lmsp9a. The determined cDNA sequences for Lmsp1a and Lmsp9a are provided in SEQ ID NO: 19 and 21, respectively, with the corresponding amino acid sequences being provided in SEQ ID NO: 20 and 22, respectively.

B. Characterization of Lmsp1a and Lmsp9a

FIG. 21 shows the full-length cDNA (SEQ ID NO: 19) and predicted amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 20) for the antigen Lmsp1a. The EcoRI/XhoI insert is 1019 bp long and contains the following features: a) the last 17 nt of the spliced leader sequence characteristic of all trypanosoma nuclearly encoded mRNA; b) 39 nt of 5′ untranslated sequence; c) an open reading frame of 453 nt long coding for a 151 deduced amino acid sequence with a predicted molecular mass of 16.641 kDa; and d) 471 nt of 3′ untranslated sequence terminating with a poly A tail. The predicted amino acid sequence contains three potential phosphorylation sites at amino acid residues 3, 85 and 102. In addition, Lmsp1a contains an RGD sequence at residue 104, a sequence that may play a role in parasite invasion of the macrophage. RGD sequences have been shown to mediate the binding of various adhesion proteins to their cell surface receptors. There is no obvious leader sequence (secretory signal) at the amino terminal portion suggesting that the protein might be shed or excreted. Lmsp1a appears to be one of the most abundant antigens found in the culture supernatant of live promastigote, since 17 of the 19 clones contain sequences of variable lengths identical to Lmsp1a.

Comparison of the amino acid sequence of Lmps1a with known sequences using the DNA STAR system (Version 87) revealed that Lmsp1a shares between 65% to 70% homology with the eukaryotic nucleoside diphosphate kinase protein, also referred to in the mouse and human as a tumor metastasis inhibitor gene.

Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA from L. major (Friedlander strain) digested with a panel of restriction enzymes (lanes 1 to 7) and six other Leishmania species of different geographic locations digested with PstI (lanes 8 to 13) using the full-length cDNA insert of Lmps1a, demonstrated that Lmsp1a is present in all the species characterized with a high degree of conservation (FIG. 22). This suggests evolutionary significance for the maintenance of Lmsp1a and the existence of homologous species among all the Leishmania species.

The remaining two cDNA clones isolated from the soluble L. major antigen mixture represent identical sequences (referred to as Lmsp9a; SEQ ID NO: 21), suggesting that the two copies resulted from amplification of the primary library. Sequencing of the Lmsp9a cDNA revealed that the clone does not contain the full length 5′ sequence since it is lacking both the spliced leader and 5′ untranslated sequences. The 3′ end of the cDNA contains a poly A stretch, as would be expected for a Leishmania mRNA. Of the predicted translated sequence (SEQ ID NO: 22), 34 of the 201 amino acids (17%) represent cysteine residues. Comparison of the predicted protein sequence with those of known proteins as described above, revealed some homology with other cysteine rich proteins such as the major surface trophozoite antigen of Giardia lamblia and furin proteases.

Example 10 Preparation and Characterization of MAPS-1A

This Example illustrates the preparation and characterization of the Leishmania antigen MAPS-1A (SEQ ID NO: 24).

A pool of sera was obtained from 5 BALB/c mice that had been given a primary immunization and two boosts with crude L. major promastigote culture supernatant as described below in Example 12. These mice were subsequently shown to be protected when challenged with a dose of live L. major promastigotes generally found to be lethal. The mouse sera thus obtained were used to screen an L. major amastigote cDNA expression library prepared as described in Example 1. Several seroreactive clones were isolated and sequenced using a Perkin Elmer/Applied Biosystems Division automated sequencer Model 373A (Foster City, Calif.).

One of these clones, referred to herein as MAPS-1A, was found to be full-length. Comparison of the cDNA and deduced amino acid sequences for MAPS-1A (SEQ ID Nos: 23 and 24, respectively) with known sequences in the gene bank using the DNA STAR system revealed no significant homologies to known Leishmania sequences, although some sequence similarity was found to a group of proteins, known as thiol-specific antioxidants, found in other organisms.

Recombinant MAPS-1A protein having an amino-terminal HIS-Tag was prepared using a high level E. coli expression system and recombinant protein was purified by affinity chromatography as described in Example 1. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA from L. major digested with a panel of restriction enzymes, seven other Leishmania species digested with PstI, and two other infectious-disease pathogens (T. cruzi and T. brucei), using the full length insert of MAPS-1A, demonstrated that MAPS-1A is present in all eight Leishmania species tested (FIG. 23). Northern blot analysis of L. major promastigote aid amastigote RNAs indicated that MAPS-1A is constitutively expressed.

Using oligonucleotide primers (SEQ ID NOs:27 and 28) based on the MAPS-1A cDNA sequence provided in SEQ ID NO: 23, the corresponding gene was isolated from L. tropica by means of PCR (using 30 cycles of the following temperature step sequence: 94° C., 1 minute; 50° C., 1 minute; 72° C., 1 minute). The determined cDNA sequence for the L. tropica MAPS-1A protein is provided in SEQ ID NO: 25, with the corresponding amino acid sequence being provided in SEQ ID NO: 26.

The ability of recombinant MAPS-1A to stimulate cell proliferation was investigated as follows. PBMC from 3 L. braziliensis-infected patients having active mucosal leishmaniasis, from 4 patients post kala-azar infection (previously infected with L. chagasi and/or L. donovani) and from 3 uninfected-individuals were prepared as described above in Example 7. The ability of MAPS-1A to stimulate proliferation of these PBMC was determined as described in Example 8 above. As shown in FIG. 24, significant levels of MAPS-1A specific PBMC proliferation were seen in 2 of the 7 Leishmania patients.

The ability of MAPS-1A to stimulate proliferation in mice lymph node cultures was determined as described in Example 8. FIG. 25 shows the amount of proliferation stimulated by MAPS-1A (at 25 μg/ml, 5 μg/ml and 1 μg/ml) as compared to that stimulated by the positive control ConA and by crude L. major promastigote supernatant proteins, 20 days post-infection with L. major. Cells isolated 20 days post-infection were highly responsive to MAPS-1A, whereas cells isolated 10 days post-infection were unresponsive.

Example 11 Immunoreactivity of Soluble Leishmania Antigens with Sera from Leishmania-Infected Patents

The reactivity of MAPS-1A with sera from uninfected individuals, from human leishmaniasis patients with cutaneous infection, from human patients with acute visceral leishmaniasis, and from L. major-infected BALB/c mice was determined as follows.

Assays were performed in 96-well plates coated with 200 ng antigen diluted to 50 μL in carbonate coating buffer, pH 9.6. The wells were coated overnight at 4° C. (or 2 hours at 37° C.). The plate contents were then removed and the wells were blocked for 2 hours with 200 μL of PBS/1% BSA. After the blocking step, the wells were washed five times with PBS/0.1% Tween 20™. 50 μL sera, diluted 1:100 in PBS/0.1% Tween 20™/0.1% BSA, was then added to each well and incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature. The plates were then washed again five times with PBS/0.1% Tween 20™.

The enyzme conjugate (horseradish peroxidase—Protein A, Zymed, San Francisco, Calif.) was then diluted 1:10,000 in PBS/0.1% Tween 20™/0.1% BSA, and 50 μL, of the diluted conjugate was added to each well and incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature. Following incubation, the wells were washed five times with PBS/0.1% ween 20™. 100 μL of tetramethylbenzidine peroxidase (TMB) substrate (Kirkegaard and Perry Laboratories, Gaithersburg, Md.) was added, undiluted, and incubated for about 15 minutes. The reaction was stopped with the addition of 100 μL of 1 N H₂SO₄ to each well, and the plates were read at 450 nm.

As shown in FIG. 26, approximately 50% of the samples from human leishmaniasis patients showed reactivities with recombinant MAPS-1A substantially above background. FIG. 27 shows the reactivity of MAPS-1A with increasing dilutions of sera from BALB/c mice previously administered either (i) saline solution; (ii) the adjuvant B. pertussis; (iii) soluble Leishmania antigens plus B. pertussis; (iv) live L. major promastigotes; or (v) soluble Leishmania antigens plus B. pertussis followed by live L. major promastigotes (as described below in Example 12). Considerably higher absorbances were seen with sera from mice infected with live L. major promastigotes and with mice infected with live L. major promastigotes following immunization with soluble Leishmania antigens plus B. pertussis, than with sera from the other three groups of mice, indicating that anti-MAPS-1A antibody titers increase following Leishmania infection.

Example 12 Use of Leishmania Antigens for Vaccination Against Leishmania Infection

This example illustrates the effectiveness of Leishmania antigens in conferring protection against disease in the experimental murine leishmaniasis model system. For a discussion of the murine leishmaniasis model system see, for example, Reiner et al. Annu. Rev. Immunol., 13:151-77, 1995.

The effectiveness of (i) crude soluble Leishmania antigens, (ii) MAPS-1A, and (iii) a mixture of Ldp23, LbeIF4A and M15, as vaccines against Leishmania infection was determined as follows. BALB/c mice (5 per group) were immunized intra-peritoneally three times at biweekly intervals with either (i) 30 μg crude soluble Leishmania antigens, (ii)20 μg MAPS-1A or (iii) a mixture containing 10 μg each of LeIF, Ldp23 and M15, together with 100 μg of the adjuvant C. parvum. Two control groups were immunized with either saline or C. parvum alone. Two weeks after the last immunization, the mice were challenged with 2×15⁵ late-log phase promastigotes of L. major. Infection was monitored weekly by measurement of footpad swelling. The amount of footpad swelling seen in mice immunized with either crude soluble Leishmania antigens, a mixture of Ldp23, LbeiF4A and M15 (FIG. 28), or MAPS-1A (FIG. 29) was significantly less than that seen in mice immunized with C. parvum alone. These results demonstrate that the Leishmania antigens of the present invention are effective in conferring protection against Leishmania infection.

Example 13 Isolation of DNA Encoding for Soluble Antigens from an L. Major Fenomic DNA Library

This example illustrates the isolation of seven soluble Leishmania antigen genes from an L. major genomic DNA library.

An L. major genomic DNA expression library was prepared from L. major promastigotes using the unidirectional Lambda ZAP (uni-ZAP) kit (Stratagene) according to the manufacturer's protocol. This library was screened with a high titer rabbit sera raised against L. major soluble antigens, as described above in Example 9. Seven positive clones were identified. The phagemid were excised and DNA from each of the seven clones was sequenced using a Perkin Elmer/Applied Biosystems Division automated sequencer Model 373A. The DNA sequences for these antigens, referred to as LmgSP1, LmgSP3, LmgSP5, LmgSP8, LmgSP9, LmgSP13, LmgSP19, are provided in SEQ ID NO:29-35, respectively, with the corresponding amino acid sequences being provided in SEQ ID NO: 36-42, respectively. LmgSP13 was found to contain a 39 amino acid repeat sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:43.

Subsequent studies resulted in the isolation of a full-length sequence for LmgSP9. The full-length DNA sequence is provided in SEQ ID NO: 54, with the corresponding predicted amino acid sequence being provided in SEQ ID NO: 55. The amino acid sequence was found to contain six 14 amino acid repeat units (SEQ ID NO: 56), with each unit being further divided into two 7 amino acid units, provided in SEQ ID NO: 57 and 58.

Comparison of the DNA and amino acid sequences for the isolated antigens as described above, revealed no significant homologies to LmgSP1, LmgSP3, and LmgSP13. LmgSP5 was found to be related to the known PSA2 family. LmgSP8 was found to bear some homology to a sequence previously identified in E. coli (2-succinyl-6-hydroxy-2.4-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxylic acid synthase). LmgSP9 and LmgSP19 were found to be homologous to a L. major hydrophilic surface protein referred to as Gene B (Flinn, H. M. et al. Mol. Biochem. Parasii. 65:259-270. 1994), and to ubiquitin, respectively. To the best of the inventors' knowledge, none of these antigens have been previously shown to elicit T or B cell responses.

The reactivity of recombinant LmgSP9 with sera from patients with visceral leishnianiasis, (from both Sudan and Brazil) and from normal donors was evaluated by ELISA as described above. The absorbance values were compared with those obtained using the known Leishmania antigen K39 described above, with L. chagasi lysate being employed as a positive control. Representative results of these assays are provided below in Table 2, wherein all the patients from Brazil and those from the Sudan designated as “VL” were inflicted with visceral leishmaniasis. The results demonstrated that LmgSP9 specifically detects antibody in most individuals with visceral leishmaniasis, regardless of geographical location. In several cases, the absorbance values of the antibody reactivity to LmgSP9 were comparable to that observed with K39. In addition, LmgSP9 detected several cases of leishmaniasis that were not detected using K39. These results indicate that LmgSP9 can be used to complement the reactivity of K39.

TABLE 2 REACTIVITY OF LMGSP9 WITH SERA FROM LEISHMANIA PATIENTS Patient No. L. chagasi lysate K39 LmgSP9 Sudanese samples: B19 1.067 0.306 0.554 B25 1.884 3.435 0.974 B43 1.19 3.225 0.86 B47 2.405 2.892 0.375 B50 0.834 0.748 0.432 B58 0.921 0.235 0.92 B63 1.291 0.303 0.764 B70 0.317 0.089 3.056 VL4 1.384 3.035 2.965 VL11 0.382 0.144 0.142 VL12 0.277 0.068 0.098 VL13 0.284 0.12 0.194 Brazilian samples: 105 3.508 3.53 0.374 106 2.979 3.373 2.292 107 2.535 3.444 0.46 109 1.661 3.415 3.319 111 3.595 3.537 0.781 112 2.052 3.469 0.63 113 3.352 3.429 0.963 114 2.316 3.437 1.058 115 2.073 3.502 1.186 116 3.331 3.461 0.96 Normal Donors: 129 0.157 0.104 0.08 130 0.195 0.076 0.095 131 0.254 0.134 0.086 132 0.102 0.035 0.043

In order to obtain a higher specificity for the detection of antibodies in sera from visceral leishmaniasis patients, a homologue of LmgSP9 was isolated from L. chagasi, one of the causative agents of visceral leishmaniasis. A total of 80,000 pfu of an amplified L. chagasi genomic library were screened with the entire coding region of LmgSP9 (amplified from L. major genomic DNA). Seven hybridizing clones were purified to homogeneity. The determined DNA sequences for two of these clones, referred to as Lc Gene A and LcGene B, are provided in SEQ ID NO: 59 and 60, respectively, with the corresponding predicted amino acid sequences being provided in SEQ ID NO: 61 and 62, respectively. The open reading frame for Lc Gene A was found to show some homology to Gene A/C, previously isolated from L. major (McKlean et al., Mol. Bio. Parasitol., 85:221-231, 1997). The open reading frame for Lc Gene B showed some homology to Gene B of L. major, discussed above, and was found to contain eleven repeats of a 14 amino acid repeat unit (SEQ ID NO: 63), with each repeat being further divided into two 7 amino acid units, provided in SEQ ID NO: 64 and 65.

The diagnostic potentials of lc Gene A and Lc Gene B were evaluated by ELISA as described above using sera from visceral leishmaniasis patients from Sudan and Brazil, and from uninfected controls. Absorbance vahles were compared to those obtained using LmgSP9. Much higher absorbance values were obtained with Lc Gene A and Lc Gene B than with LmgSP9, with Lc Gene B appearing to be more effective that Lc Gene A in detecting antibodies in certain cases. These results indicate that Lc Gene B is highly effective in the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.

In order to assess the diagnostic potential of the repeats found within Lc Gene B, a series of 6 peptides were synthesized (SEQ ID NO: 66-71; referred to as Pep 1-6), differing in an R or H residue. An ELISA was carried out using the full-length LcGene B protein and the six peptides. The absorbance values obtained with Pep 3 were higher than those obtained with the other 5 peptides, however they were not as high as those obtained with the full length protein.

Example 14 Isolation and Characterization of DNA Encoding for Soluble Antigens from an L. Chagasi Genomic DNA Library

This example illustrates the preparation of five soluble Leishmania antigen genes from an L. chagasi genomic DNA library.

An L. chagasi genomic DNA expression library was prepared from L. chagasi promastigotes using the unidirectional Lambda ZAP (uni-ZAP) kit (Stratagene) according to the manufacturer's protocol. This library was screened with a high titer rabbit sera raised against L. major soluble antigens, as described above in Example 9. Five positive clones were identified. The phagemid were excised and DNA from each of the Five clones was sequenced using a Perkin Elmer/Applied Biosystems Division automated sequencer Model 373A. The DNA sequences for these antigens, referred to as LcgSP1, LcgSP3, LcgSP4, LcgSP8, and LcgSP10 are provided in SEQ ID NO:44-48, respectively, with the corresponding amino acid sequences being provided in SEQ ID NO:49-53, respectively.

Comparison of these sequences with known sequences in the gene bank as described above, revealed no known homologies to LcgSP3, LcgSP4, LcgSP8 and LcgSP10. LcgSP1 was found to be homologous to the known antigen HSP70.

FIGS. 30A and B illustrate the proliferative response of murine lymph nodes to recombinant LcgSP8, LcgSP10 and LcgSP3. Lymph nodes were taken BALB/c mice 17 days after infection with L. major. Infection occurred by footpad injection of 2×10⁶ parasites/footpad. The cells were stimulated with recombinant antigen and proliferation was measured at 72 hours using ³H-thymidine. FIG. 30A shows the CPM, a direct measurement of mitotic activity in response to the antigens, and FIG. 30B shows the stimulation index, which measures the proliferative response relative to the negative control.

Example 15 Isolation of DNA Encoding for L. Major Antigens by CD4+ T Cell Expression Cloning

This example illustrates the isolation of T cell antigens of L. major using a direct T cell screening approach.

Leishmania-specific CD4+ T cell lines were derived from the PBMC of an individual who tested positive in a leishmania skin test but had no clinical history of disease. These T cell lines were used to screen a L. major amastigote cDNA expression library prepared as described in Example 1. Immunoreactive clones were isolated and sequenced as described above. The determined cDNA sequences for the 8 isolated clones referred to as 1G6-34, 1E6-44, 4A5-63, 1B11-39, 2A10-37, 4G2-83, 4H6-41, 8G3-100 are provided in SEQ ID NO: 72-79. respectively, with the corresponding predicted amino acid sequences being provided in SEQ ID NO: 80-87, respectively. The cDNA sequences provided for 1E6-44, 2A10-37. 4G2-83, 4H6-41 and 8G3-100 are believe to represent partial clones. All of these clones were shown to stimulate T cell proliferation.

Comparison of these sequences with those in the gene bank as described above revealed no known homologies to the antigen 4A5-63. 1G6-34 was found to have some homology to histone H2B previously identified in L. enrietti. Antigens 1E6-44, 1B11-39 and 8G3-100 showed some homology to sequences previously identified in other eukaryotes, in particular Saccharomyces cerevisae. 2A10-37 and 4H6-41 were found to be homologous to the two previously identified proteins alpha tubulin from L. donovani and beta tubulin from L. major, respectively, and 4G2-83 was found to be homologous to elongation initiation factor 2 previously identified in T. cruzi.

Example 16 Synthesis of Polypeptides

Polypeptides may be synthesized on a Perkin Elmer/Applied Biosystems Division 430A peptide synthesizer using FMOC chemistry with HPTU (O-Benzotriazole-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate) activation. A Gly-Cys-Gly sequence may be attached to the amino terminus of the peptide to provide a method of conjugation, binding to an immobilized surface, or labeling of the peptide. Cleavage of the peptides from the solid support may be carried out using the following cleavage mixture: trifluoroacetic acid:ethanedithiol:thioanisole:water:phenol (40:1:2:2:3). After cleaving for 2 hours, the peptides may be precipitated in cold methyl-t-butyl-ether. The peptide pellets may then be dissolved in water containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and lyophilized prior to purification by C18 reverse phase HPLC. A gradient of 0%-60% acetonitrile (containing 0.1% TFA) in water (containing 0.1% TFA) may be used to elute the peptides. Following lyophilization of the pure fractions, the peptides may be characterized using electrospray or other types of mass spectrometry and by amino acid analysis.

Example 17 Use of Leishmania Antigens Plus Adjuvant for Vaccination Against Leishmania Infection

This example illustrates the effectiveness of recombinant Leishmania antigens, M15 and MAPS, plus an adjuvant, IL-12, in conferring protection against disease in the experimental murine leishmaniasis model system. For discussion of the murine leishmaniasis model system see, for example, Reiner et al., Annu. Rev. Immunol., 13:151-77, 1995. The effectiveness of M15 and MAPS in combination with IL-12, as vaccine against Leishmania infection was determined as follows: BALB/c mice (5 per group) were immunized subcutaneously in the left footpad, twice (3 weeks apart) with the 10 μg of the individual antigens mixed with 1 μg of IL-12. As controls, three separate groups of mice were immunized with soluble leishmania lysate antigens (SLA) plus IL-12, with IL-12 alone or with PBS. Three weeks after the last immunization the mice were infected in the right footpad with 2×10⁵ promastigote forms of L. major (stationary phase). Footpad swelling was then measured weekly. Results are expressed in FIG. 31 and clearly indicate that the mice immunized with either M15 or MAPS and IL-12 were greatly protected against the infection; whereas mice immunized with IL-12 alone did not show protection from infection. The protection induced by these antigens was as efficient or better than that induced by SLA+IL-12, a regimen known to induce good protection against leishmaniasis in this animal model (Afonso, L. C. C., T. M. Scharton, L. Q. Vieira, M. Wysocka, G. Trinchieri, and P. Scott. 1994. The adjuvant effect of interieukin-12 in a vaccine against Leishniania major. Science 263:235-237). The same pattern of protection described above, was obtained i.e., M15, MAPS, and SLA, induced protection against L. major infection when C. parvum instead of IL-12 was used as adjtivant (Example 12). These results demonstrate that both M15 and MAPS recombinant antigens induce excellent protection against L. major infection in the BALB/c model of human leishmaniasis. In addition, both antigens induced protection when tested in two different adjuvant formulations, (e.g., IL-12 and C. parvim.) This finding is of high significance because it demonstrates that immunity to leishmaniasis can be induced by the specific antigens delivered in adjuvants that are suitable for human use.

Example 18 Use of Leishmania DNA for Vaccination Against Leishmania Infection

This example illustrates the effectiveness of Leishmania DNA in conferring protection against disease in the experimental murine leishmaniasis model system. For discussion of the murine leishmaniasis model system see, for example, Reiner et al., Annu. Rev. Immunol., 13:151-77, 1995. The protection properties of the recombinant antigens was tested by immunizing mice with naked DNA containing the corresponding M15 and MAPS genes. The DNA construct used was the pcDNA3.1 vector (Invitrogen) containing a CMV promotor. BALB/c mice (5 per group) were injected in the left footpad three times (3 weeks apart) with 100 μg of the indicated naked DNA preparations. Mice were bled before and after the immunizations to monitor the development of specific immune response. The antibody response was evaluated by ELISA. Specific anti-M15 and anti-MAPS IgG2a antibodies were detected after the second immunization in the sera of the mice immunized with the respective naked DNA. The presence of specific antibodies indicates that the DNA immunization resulted in the production of specific protein antigen. Three weeks after the last immunization, the mice were then challenged in the right footpad with 2×10⁵ promastigote forms of L. major (stationary phase). Footpad swelling was then measured weekly thereafter. Results are expressed in FIG. 32 and clearly indicated that, again, mice immunized with naked DNA containing either the M15 or MAPS genes were greatly protected against the infection with L. major. These results demonstrate that both M15 and MAPS genes induce excellent protection against L. major infection in the BALB/c model of human leishmaniasis.

Example 19 Preparation and Characterization of Leishmania Fusion Proteins

Fusion proteins comprising the Leishmania antigens MAPS-1A (SEQ ID NO: 24), M15 (SEQ ID NO: 2), Lbhsp83 (SEQ ID NO: 6) and LbeIF4A (SEQ ID NO: 10) were prepared as follows.

A fusion construct of MAPS-1A and M15 was prepared by first PCR amplifying the full-length coding sequence of MAPS-1A using the primers of SEQ ID NO: 88 and 89. The resulting products were digested with NdeI and BamHI follows by sub-cloning into the pET17b expression vector, also digested with NdeI and BamHI. The ligated products were transformed into E. coli and transformants containing the correct insert were identified by restriction digest and verified by DNA sequencing. The MAPS-1A-pET plasmid was digested with BamHI and EcoRI. The latter cuts within the poly-linker sequence of the pET vector which is located downstream of the BamHI site.

The primers of SEQ ID NO: 90 and 91 were employed to PCR amplify the full-length coding sequence of M15 and the resulting product was digested with BamHI and EcoRI followed by sub-cloning into the predigested MAPS1A-pET plasmid above. The ligated products were then transformed into E. coli and transformants with the correct insert were identified by restriction digest and verified by DNA sequencing. The MAPS1A-M15 pET construct was transformed into the bacterial host (BL21; pLysE). Expression of the protein resulted in a single recombinant molecule with a predicted molecular weight of 85.7 kDa. The recombinant MAPS1A-M15 fusion protein also contained 33 amino acid residues of run-through vector as a result of the removal of the stop codon of M15 and was subsequently digested with EcoRI. The DNA sequence of the MAPS1A-M15 construct is provided in SEQ ID NO: 101.

The primers of SEQ ID NO: 92 and 93 were used to PCR amplify the first 226 amino acid residues of LbeIF4A. The resulting PCR product was digested with EcoRI and sub-cloned into the MAPS1A-M15-pET plasmid. The ligated products were then transformed into E. coli and transformants with the correct insert and orientation were identified by restriction digest and verified by DNA sequencing. The expressed recombinant protein was purified by affinity chromatography over a Ni column. The DNA and amino acid sequences of the fusion protein MAPS1A-M15-LbeIF4A are provided in SEQ ID NO: 94 and 95, respectively.

Additional fusion proteins were prepared using the methodology described above. The amino acid sequences for the fusion proteins MAPS1A-M15-Lbhsp83 and MAPS1A-M15-Lbhsp83-LeIF4A are provided in SEQ ID NO: 97 and 96, respectively. The DNA sequence that encodes the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 96 is provided in SEQ ID NO: 98. The DNA sequences of MAPS1A-M15-Lbhsp83 and MAPS1A-M15-Lbhsp83-LeIF4A vectors employed in DNA vaccines are provided in SEQ ID NO: 99 and 100, respectively.

Example 20 Use of Leishmania Fusion Proteins Plus Adjuvant for Vaccination Against Leishmania Infection

The ability of the Leishmania fusion proteins MAPS1A-M15 (referred to as the diFusion) and MAPS1A-M15-LbeIF4A (referred to as the triFusion), plus adjuvant, to confer protection against disease in the experimental murine leishmaniasis model system was examined as follows.

The diFusion and triFusion were prepared as described above. In a first series of experiments, groups of BALB/c mice were immunized with either the individual recombinant antigens, (MAPS1A, M15 or LbeIF4A), the diFusion or the triFusion, with IL-12 as an adjuvant, as described above in Example 17. Control mice were immunized with IL-12 alone or saline. Before challenge, some mice (three per group) were sacrificed and the immune responses to the fusion proteins and to the individual antigens were investigated. Both T cell (cytokine production by spleen cells) and B cell responses (antibody response) were evaluated. The results indicated that immunization of mice with the fusion proteins did not interfere with the immunogenicity of the individual antigens. More specifically, Th1 responses (namely induction of IFN-γ production and specific IgG2a production) were observed to both MAPS1A and M15, when mice were immunized with both the diFusion and triFusion recombinant proteins. In addition, immunization with the triFusion resulted in good immune response to LeIF.

To evaluate the protection conferred by these fusion proteins, the immunized and control mice were infected in the right footpad with 2×10³ amastigote forms of L. major and footpad swelling was measured weekly thereafter. The results, shown in FIG. 33, clearly indicated that both fusion proteins induced protection comparable to MAPS1A and M15.

A second series of experiments was performed in which MPLL-SE (Ribi ImmunoChem Research Inc. (Hamilton, Mont.) was employed as the adjuvant. BALB/c mice were immunized three times (three weeks interval) with 2 μg of the individual antigens (MAPS1A, M15 or LbeIF4A), diFusion or triFusion proteins plus MPL-SE, and tested for immunogenicity of the antigens and for protection as described above. As with the experiments performed with IL-12 as adjuvant, the mice immunized with the individual antigens as well as with the fusion proteins showed both specific T and B cell responses to the immunizing antigens. Moreover, no antigen competition between the individual antigens was observed when the fusion proteins were used as immunogens.

As with the protection studies in which IL-12 was used as adjuvant, protection was achieved with the individual antigens MAS1A and M15, as well as with the two fusion proteins (FIG. 34). Slightly better protection was observed in the group of mice immunized with the triFusion than in mice immunized with the diFusion.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for the purpose of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention.

101 1 3134 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(3134) n = A,T,C or G 1 caagtgtcga aggacagtgt tcnccgtgtg agatcgccgg ctgtgcgtgt gaaggcggtg 60 ccatcggana aacaacaccg gtgganccgc aggaaaccat ctttctccgc aggtctcttt 120 ttgttgtcga ttgagagtgc nccaaaccct gctggtgccc ttctcacata tcatgttttt 180 cgttgtgcgc tcgctttgcc tttcctctcc tttccctctc ttccgtggtg ccgtgtatac 240 ttctggcacc cgctacgtca cttcgctggt ttgaacagaa ccactgtgaa cacccacggg 300 cgatcgcaca catacacatc cctcactcac acacacagct acatctatcc tacataaagc 360 tgaaaaaaaa gtctacgaac aattttgttt ttacagtgcg ttgccgcaca tttctccgta 420 atggacgcaa ctgagctgaa gaacaagggg aacgaagagt tctccgccgg ccgctatgtg 480 gaggcggtga actacttctc aaaggcgatc cagttggatg agcagaacag tgtcctctac 540 agcaaccgct ccgcctgttt tgcagccatg cagaaataca aggacgcgct ggacgacgcc 600 gacaagtgca tctcgatcaa gccgaattgg gccaagggct acgtgcgccg aggagcagct 660 ctccatggca tgcgccgcta cgacgatgcc attgccgcgt atgaaaaggg gctcaaggtg 720 gacccttcca acagcggctg cgcgcagggc gtgaaggacg tgcaggtagc caaggcccgc 780 gaagcacgtg accccatcgc tcgcgtcttc accccggagg cgttccgcaa gatccaagag 840 aatcccaagc tgtctctact tatgctgcag ccggactacg tgaagatggt agacaccgtc 900 atccgcgacc cttcgcaggg ccggctgtac atggaagacc agcgctttgc cctgacgctc 960 atgtacctga gcggaatgaa gattcccaac gatggtgatg gcgaggagga ggaacgtccg 1020 tctgcgaagg cggcagagac agcgaagcca aaagaggaga agcctctcac cgacaacgag 1080 aaggaggccc tggcgctcaa ggaggagggc aacaagctgt acctctcgaa gaagtttgag 1140 gaggcgctga ccaagtacca agaggcgcag gtgaaagacc ccaacaacac tttatacatt 1200 ctgaacgtgt cggccgtgta cttcgagcag ggtgactacg acaagtgcat cgccgagtgc 1260 gagcacggta tcgagcacgg tcgcgagaac cactgcgact acacaatcat tgcgaagctc 1320 atgacccgga acgccttgtg cctccagagg cagaggaagt acgaggctgc tatcgacctt 1380 tacaagcgcg cccttgtcga gtggcgtaac cctgacaccc tcaagaagct gacggagtgc 1440 gagaaggagc accaaaaggc ggtggaggaa gcctacatcg atcctgagat cgcgaagcag 1500 aagaaagacg aaggtaacca gtacttcaag gaggataagt tccccgaggc cgtggcagcg 1560 tacacggagg ccatcaagcg caaccctgcc gagcacacct cctacagcaa tcgcgcggcc 1620 gcgtacatca agcttggagc cttcaacgac gccctcaagg acgcggagaa gtgcattgag 1680 ctgaagcccg actttgttaa gggctacgcg cgcaagggtc atgcttactt ttggaccaag 1740 cagtacaacc gcgcgctgca ggcgtacgat gagggcctca aggtggaccc gagcaatgcg 1800 gactgcaagg atgggcggta tcgcacaatc atgaagattc aggagatggc atctggccaa 1860 tccgcggatg gcgacgaggc ggcgcgccgg gccatggacg atcctgaaat cgcggcaatc 1920 atgcaagata gctacatgca actagtgttg aaggagatgc agaacgatcc cacgcgcatt 1980 caggagtaca tgaaggactc cgggatctca tcgaagatca acaagctgat ttcagctggc 2040 atcattcgtt ttggtcagta gacttctacg ctgcctcatc ttttccgtgt ctttgcgtcg 2100 gcgggtatcg taaagcacaa taaagcagcg attcacatgc acgagtaaag tgctgcgcct 2160 ctcaaacacg acgtcgaggc tgtggtgcag atgcgcgtcc tgcatgaagg tagtgaagag 2220 gaaagtaagg gatgttgttt gtgggccttc gtggctgcgc acacacctct tatctccttc 2280 gcttggtacc ttctcccttt ttcgtcttca cccccctttc tcttctcacg ctctccctgg 2340 cgcggtggtg caacgatttc gttttattta cgtctgtgta gctcctctat tcaacggtgc 2400 gatgacgcta acgaagctgg cctgtattcg gctaaggcga aggcaaaaga ctaggagggg 2460 ggggggaagg agacggcgtg accatcactg cgaagaaaca agccgaagaa aaggccccga 2520 acgcctgcat ttccgcgcgc cctcgcccgc cttccttcct tccttcgctc tctctctctc 2580 tctctctcgc tatcttctca acggagacat gaaaggcgtt tgttaggaaa agaggggggg 2640 gggaagagtg ggacgacgcg ctgcgtcttt tgggcactgg tcacgtgcgt caccctcttt 2700 ttttatctct attggcactg tcttgtttct tttccctttc ctatcatacg cgtctcgcaa 2760 acgactccgc gctgagcagc catgtgctgc ggcgtggagg aagtacacag acatcacgga 2820 tgcatatgtg cgcgtccgtg tacgcgcttg tatggggctt ctaacagcgc ctgtgtgtgt 2880 ttgtgtgtgt gtgtgtgtgt gtgtctgtgt atttcgagcg tctgtatgct attctattaa 2940 gcaccgaaga agagacacac acgacagcga aggagatggt gtcggctttt cggctaatca 3000 ctcccttcca tagcttctct gaaggaggct ctcttccaga ggaatagact gcagatgggg 3060 tccacgttta tctgaggagt caacggaaaa aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa 3120 aaaaaaaact cgag 3134 2 546 PRT Leishmania major 2 Met Asp Ala Thr Glu Leu Lys Asn Lys Gly Asn Glu Glu Phe Ser Ala 1 5 10 15 Gly Arg Tyr Val Glu Ala Val Asn Tyr Phe Ser Lys Ala Ile Gln Leu 20 25 30 Asp Glu Gln Asn Ser Val Leu Tyr Ser Asn Arg Ser Ala Cys Phe Ala 35 40 45 Ala Met Gln Lys Tyr Lys Asp Ala Leu Asp Asp Ala Asp Lys Cys Ile 50 55 60 Ser Ile Lys Pro Asn Trp Ala Lys Gly Tyr Val Arg Arg Gly Ala Ala 65 70 75 80 Leu His Gly Met Arg Arg Tyr Asp Asp Ala Ile Ala Ala Tyr Glu Lys 85 90 95 Gly Leu Lys Val Asp Pro Ser Asn Ser Gly Cys Ala Gln Gly Val Lys 100 105 110 Asp Val Gln Val Ala Lys Ala Arg Glu Ala Arg Asp Pro Ile Ala Arg 115 120 125 Val Phe Thr Pro Glu Ala Phe Arg Lys Ile Gln Glu Asn Pro Lys Leu 130 135 140 Ser Leu Leu Met Leu Gln Pro Asp Tyr Val Lys Met Val Asp Thr Val 145 150 155 160 Ile Arg Asp Pro Ser Gln Gly Arg Leu Tyr Met Glu Asp Gln Arg Phe 165 170 175 Ala Leu Thr Leu Met Tyr Leu Ser Gly Met Lys Ile Pro Asn Asp Gly 180 185 190 Asp Gly Glu Glu Glu Glu Arg Pro Ser Ala Lys Ala Ala Glu Thr Ala 195 200 205 Lys Pro Lys Glu Glu Lys Pro Leu Thr Asp Asn Glu Lys Glu Ala Leu 210 215 220 Ala Leu Lys Glu Glu Gly Asn Lys Leu Tyr Leu Ser Lys Lys Phe Glu 225 230 235 240 Glu Ala Leu Thr Lys Tyr Gln Glu Ala Gln Val Lys Asp Pro Asn Asn 245 250 255 Thr Leu Tyr Ile Leu Asn Val Ser Ala Val Tyr Phe Glu Gln Gly Asp 260 265 270 Tyr Asp Lys Cys Ile Ala Glu Cys Glu His Gly Ile Glu His Gly Arg 275 280 285 Glu Asn His Cys Asp Tyr Thr Ile Ile Ala Lys Leu Met Thr Arg Asn 290 295 300 Ala Leu Cys Leu Gln Arg Gln Arg Lys Tyr Glu Ala Ala Ile Asp Leu 305 310 315 320 Tyr Lys Arg Ala Leu Val Glu Trp Arg Asn Pro Asp Thr Leu Lys Lys 325 330 335 Leu Thr Glu Cys Glu Lys Glu His Gln Lys Ala Val Glu Glu Ala Tyr 340 345 350 Ile Asp Pro Glu Ile Ala Lys Gln Lys Lys Asp Glu Gly Asn Gln Tyr 355 360 365 Phe Lys Glu Asp Lys Phe Pro Glu Ala Val Ala Ala Tyr Thr Glu Ala 370 375 380 Ile Lys Arg Asn Pro Ala Glu His Thr Ser Tyr Ser Asn Arg Ala Ala 385 390 395 400 Ala Tyr Ile Lys Leu Gly Ala Phe Asn Asp Ala Leu Lys Asp Ala Glu 405 410 415 Lys Cys Ile Glu Leu Lys Pro Asp Phe Val Lys Gly Tyr Ala Arg Lys 420 425 430 Gly His Ala Tyr Phe Trp Thr Lys Gln Tyr Asn Arg Ala Leu Gln Ala 435 440 445 Tyr Asp Glu Gly Leu Lys Val Asp Pro Ser Asn Ala Asp Cys Lys Asp 450 455 460 Gly Arg Tyr Arg Thr Ile Met Lys Ile Gln Glu Met Ala Ser Gly Gln 465 470 475 480 Ser Ala Asp Gly Asp Glu Ala Ala Arg Arg Ala Met Asp Asp Pro Glu 485 490 495 Ile Ala Ala Ile Met Gln Asp Ser Tyr Met Gln Leu Val Leu Lys Glu 500 505 510 Met Gln Asn Asp Pro Thr Arg Ile Gln Glu Tyr Met Lys Asp Ser Gly 515 520 525 Ile Ser Ser Lys Ile Asn Lys Leu Ile Ser Ala Gly Ile Ile Arg Phe 530 535 540 Gly Gln 545 3 676 DNA Leishmania donovani 3 aattcggcac gaggcattgt gcataatggt caagtcccac tacatctgcg cgggccgcct 60 ggtgcgcatc ctgcgtggcc cccgccagga ccgcgttggt gtgatcgtcg acattgtcga 120 cgcgaaccgc gtgctggtgg agaacccgga ggacgcgaag atgtggcgcc acgtgcagaa 180 cctgaagaac gtggagccgc tgaagtactg cgtgagcgtc agccgcaact gcagcgcgaa 240 ggcgctgaag gatgcgctgg cctcgtcgaa ggcgctggag aagtacgcga agacgcgcac 300 tgctgcgcgc gtggaggcga agaaggcgtg cgccgcgtcg acggacttcg agcgctacca 360 gctgcgcgtt gcgcgccgtt ctcgcgcgca ctgggcgcgc aaggtgttcg acgagaagga 420 cgcgaagacg cccgtgtcgt ggcacaaggt tgcgctgaag aagatgcaga agaaggccgc 480 aaagatggac tcgaccgagg gcgctaagag gcgcatgcag aaggcgatcg ctgcccgcaa 540 ggcgaaaaag taaggccata ccctcacttc gcttgtttcg tgatttttcg tgggagtcgg 600 tggccctacc agcggtcttt cattggctta tttctatccg gtctgaaaga ggtacaaaaa 660 aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaa 676 4 175 PRT Leishmania donovani 4 Met Val Lys Ser His Tyr Ile Cys Ala Gly Arg Leu Val Arg Ile Leu 1 5 10 15 Arg Gly Pro Arg Gln Asp Arg Val Gly Val Ile Val Asp Ile Val Asp 20 25 30 Ala Asn Arg Val Leu Val Glu Asn Pro Glu Asp Ala Lys Met Trp Arg 35 40 45 His Val Gln Asn Leu Lys Asn Val Glu Pro Leu Lys Tyr Cys Val Ser 50 55 60 Val Ser Arg Asn Cys Ser Ala Lys Ala Leu Lys Asp Ala Leu Ala Ser 65 70 75 80 Ser Lys Ala Leu Glu Lys Tyr Ala Lys Thr Arg Thr Ala Ala Arg Val 85 90 95 Glu Ala Lys Lys Ala Cys Ala Ala Ser Thr Asp Phe Glu Arg Tyr Gln 100 105 110 Leu Arg Val Ala Arg Arg Ser Arg Ala His Trp Ala Arg Lys Val Phe 115 120 125 Asp Glu Lys Asp Ala Lys Thr Pro Val Ser Trp His Lys Val Ala Leu 130 135 140 Lys Lys Met Gln Lys Lys Ala Ala Lys Met Asp Ser Thr Glu Gly Ala 145 150 155 160 Lys Arg Arg Met Gln Lys Ala Ile Ala Ala Arg Lys Ala Lys Lys 165 170 175 5 2040 DNA Leishmania braziliensis 5 cgcggtggcg gccgctctag aactagtgga tcccccgggc tgcaggaatt cggcacgaga 60 gagcctgacg gacccggcgg tgctgggcga ggagactcac ctgcgcgtcc gcgtggtgcc 120 ggacaaggcg aacaagacgc tgacggtgga ggataacggc atcggcatga ccaaggcgga 180 cctcgtgaac aatctgggca cgatcgcgcg ctccggcacg aaggctttca tggaggcact 240 ggaggccggc ggcgacatga gcatgatcgg ccagttcggt gtcggcttct actccgcgta 300 ccttgtggcg gaccgcgtga cggtggtgtc gaagaacaac tcggacgagg cgtactggga 360 atcgtctgcg gggggcacgt tcaccatcac gagcgtgcag gagtcggaca tgaagcgcgg 420 cacgagtaca acgctgcacc taaaggagga ccagcaggag tacctggagg agcgccgggt 480 gaaggagctg atcaagaagc actccgagtt catcggctac gacatcgagc tgatggtgga 540 gaagacggcg gagaaggagg tgacggacga ggacgaggag gaggacgagt cgaagaagaa 600 gtcctgcggg gacgagggcg agccgaaggt ggaggaggtg acggagggcg gcgaggacaa 660 gaagaagaag acgaagaagg tgaaggaggt gaagaagacg tacgaggtca agaacaagca 720 caagccgctc tggacgcgcg acacgaagga cgtgacgaag gaggagtacg cggccttcta 780 caaggccatc tccaacgact gggaggacac ggcggcgacg aagcacttct cggtggaggg 840 ccagctggag ttccgcgcga tcgcgttcgt gccgaagcgc gcgccgttcg acatgttcga 900 gccgaacaag aagcgcaaca acatcaagct gtacgtgcgc cgcgtgttca tcatggacaa 960 ctgcgaggac ctgtgcccgg actggctcgg cttcgtgaag ggcgtcgtgg acagcgagga 1020 cctgccgctg aacatctcgc gcgagaacct gcagcagaac aagatcctga aggtgatccg 1080 caagaacatc gtgaagaagt gcctggagct gttcgaagag atagcggaga acaaggagga 1140 ctacaagcag ttctacgagc agttcggcaa gaacatcaag ctgggcatcc acgaggacac 1200 ggcgaaccgc aagaagctga tggagttgct gcgcttctac agcaccgagt cgggggagga 1260 gatgacgaca ctgaaggact acgtgacgcg catgaagccg gagcagaagt cgatctacta 1320 catcactggc gacagcaaga agaagctgga gtcgtcgccg ttcatcgaga aggcgagacg 1380 ctgcgggctc gaggtgctgt tcatgacgga gccgatcgac gagtacgtga tgcagcaggt 1440 gaaggacttc gaggacaaga agttcgcgtg cctgacgaag gaaggcgtgc acttcgagga 1500 gtccgaggag gagaagaagc agcgcgagga gaagaaggcg gcgtgcgaga agctgtgcaa 1560 gacgatgaag gaggtgctgg gcgacaaggt ggagaaggtg accgtgtcgg agcgcctgtt 1620 gacgtcgccg tgcatcctgg tgacgtcgga gtttgggtgg tcggcgcaca tggaacagat 1680 catgcgcaac caggcgctgc gcgactccag catggcgcag tacatggtgt ccaagaagac 1740 gatggaggtg aaccccgacc accccatcat caaggagctg cgccgccgcg tggaggcgga 1800 cgagaacgac aaggccgtga aggacctcgt cttcctgctc ttcgacacgt cgctgctcac 1860 gtccggcttc cagctggatg accccaccgg ctacgccgag cgcatcaacc gcatgatcaa 1920 gctcggcctg tcgctcgacg aggaggagga ggaggtcgcc gaggcgccgc cggccgaggc 1980 agcccccgcg gaggtcaccg ccggcacctc cagcatggag caggtggact gagccggtaa 2040 6 656 PRT Leshmania brailiensis 6 Ser Leu Thr Asp Pro Ala Val Leu Gly Glu Glu Thr His Leu Arg Val 1 5 10 15 Arg Val Val Pro Asp Lys Ala Asn Lys Thr Leu Thr Val Glu Asp Asn 20 25 30 Gly Ile Gly Met Thr Lys Ala Asp Leu Val Asn Asn Leu Gly Thr Ile 35 40 45 Ala Arg Ser Gly Thr Lys Ala Phe Met Glu Ala Leu Glu Ala Gly Gly 50 55 60 Asp Met Ser Met Ile Gly Gln Phe Gly Val Gly Phe Tyr Ser Ala Tyr 65 70 75 80 Leu Val Ala Asp Arg Val Thr Val Val Ser Lys Asn Asn Ser Asp Glu 85 90 95 Ala Tyr Trp Glu Ser Ser Ala Gly Gly Thr Phe Thr Ile Thr Ser Val 100 105 110 Gln Glu Ser Asp Met Lys Arg Gly Thr Ser Thr Thr Leu His Leu Lys 115 120 125 Glu Asp Gln Gln Glu Tyr Leu Glu Glu Arg Arg Val Lys Glu Leu Ile 130 135 140 Lys Lys His Ser Glu Phe Ile Gly Tyr Asp Ile Glu Leu Met Val Glu 145 150 155 160 Lys Thr Ala Glu Lys Glu Val Thr Asp Glu Asp Glu Glu Glu Asp Glu 165 170 175 Ser Lys Lys Lys Ser Cys Gly Asp Glu Gly Glu Pro Lys Val Glu Glu 180 185 190 Val Thr Glu Gly Gly Glu Asp Lys Lys Lys Lys Thr Lys Lys Val Lys 195 200 205 Glu Val Lys Lys Thr Tyr Glu Val Lys Asn Lys His Lys Pro Leu Trp 210 215 220 Thr Arg Asp Thr Lys Asp Val Thr Lys Glu Glu Tyr Ala Ala Phe Tyr 225 230 235 240 Lys Ala Ile Ser Asn Asp Trp Glu Asp Thr Ala Ala Thr Lys His Phe 245 250 255 Ser Val Glu Gly Gln Leu Glu Phe Arg Ala Ile Ala Phe Val Pro Lys 260 265 270 Arg Ala Pro Phe Asp Met Phe Glu Pro Asn Lys Lys Arg Asn Asn Ile 275 280 285 Lys Leu Tyr Val Arg Arg Val Phe Ile Met Asp Asn Cys Glu Asp Leu 290 295 300 Cys Pro Asp Trp Leu Gly Phe Val Lys Gly Val Val Asp Ser Glu Asp 305 310 315 320 Leu Pro Leu Asn Ile Ser Arg Glu Asn Leu Gln Gln Asn Lys Ile Leu 325 330 335 Lys Val Ile Arg Lys Asn Ile Val Lys Lys Cys Leu Glu Leu Phe Glu 340 345 350 Glu Ile Ala Glu Asn Lys Glu Asp Tyr Lys Gln Phe Tyr Glu Gln Phe 355 360 365 Gly Lys Asn Ile Lys Leu Gly Ile His Glu Asp Thr Ala Asn Arg Lys 370 375 380 Lys Leu Met Glu Leu Leu Arg Phe Tyr Ser Thr Glu Ser Gly Glu Glu 385 390 395 400 Met Thr Thr Leu Lys Asp Tyr Val Thr Arg Met Lys Pro Glu Gln Lys 405 410 415 Ser Ile Tyr Tyr Ile Thr Gly Asp Ser Lys Lys Lys Leu Glu Ser Ser 420 425 430 Pro Phe Ile Glu Lys Ala Arg Arg Cys Gly Leu Glu Val Leu Phe Met 435 440 445 Thr Glu Pro Ile Asp Glu Tyr Val Met Gln Gln Val Lys Asp Phe Glu 450 455 460 Asp Lys Lys Phe Ala Cys Leu Thr Lys Glu Gly Val His Phe Glu Glu 465 470 475 480 Ser Glu Glu Glu Lys Lys Gln Arg Glu Glu Lys Lys Ala Ala Cys Glu 485 490 495 Lys Leu Cys Lys Thr Met Lys Glu Val Leu Gly Asp Lys Val Glu Lys 500 505 510 Val Thr Val Ser Glu Arg Leu Leu Thr Ser Pro Cys Ile Leu Val Thr 515 520 525 Ser Glu Phe Gly Trp Ser Ala His Met Glu Gln Ile Met Arg Asn Gln 530 535 540 Ala Leu Arg Asp Ser Ser Met Ala Gln Tyr Met Val Ser Lys Lys Thr 545 550 555 560 Met Glu Val Asn Pro Asp His Pro Ile Ile Lys Glu Leu Arg Arg Arg 565 570 575 Val Glu Ala Asp Glu Asn Asp Lys Ala Val Lys Asp Leu Val Phe Leu 580 585 590 Leu Phe Asp Thr Ser Leu Leu Thr Ser Gly Phe Gln Leu Asp Asp Pro 595 600 605 Thr Gly Tyr Ala Glu Arg Ile Asn Arg Met Ile Lys Leu Gly Leu Ser 610 615 620 Leu Asp Glu Glu Glu Glu Glu Val Ala Glu Ala Pro Pro Ala Glu Ala 625 630 635 640 Ala Pro Ala Glu Val Thr Ala Gly Thr Ser Ser Met Glu Gln Val Asp 645 650 655 7 1771 DNA Leishmania tropica 7 caggcccgcg tccaggccct cgaggaggca gcgcgtctcc gcgcggagct ggaggcggcc 60 gaggaggcgg cccgcctgga tgtcatgcat gcggccgagc aggcccgtgt ccaggccctc 120 gaggaggcag cgcgtctccg cgcggagctg gaggaggccg aggaggcggc ccgcctggat 180 gtcatgcatg cggccgagca ggcccgcgtc caggccctcg aggaggcagc gcgtctccgc 240 gcggagctgg aggctgccga ggaggcggcg cgcctggagg ccatgcacga ggccgagcag 300 gcccgctccc aggccctcga ggaggcagcg cgtctccgcg cggagctgga ggaagccgag 360 gaggcggccc gcctggatgt catgcatgcg gccgagcagg cccgcgtcca ggccctcgag 420 gaggcagcgc gtctccgcgc ggagctggag gaggccgagg aggcggcccg cctggaggcc 480 atgcacgagg ccgagcaggc ccgctcccag gccctcgagg aggcagcgcg tctccgcgcg 540 gagctggagg cggccgagga ggcggcccgc ctggatgtca tgcacgaggc cgagcaggcc 600 cgtgtccagg ccctcgagga ggcggcgcgc ctggatgtca tgcacgaggc cgagcaggcc 660 cgcgtccagg ccctcgagga ggcagcgcgt ctccgcgcgg agctggaggc ggccgaggag 720 gcggcccgcc tggatgtcat gcacgaggcc gagcaggccc gcgtccaggc cctcgaggag 780 gcagcgcgtc tccgcgcgga gctggaggcg gccgaggagg cggcccgcct ggatgtcatg 840 cacgagggcg agcaggcccg tgtccaggcc ctcgaggagg cggcccgcct ggaggccatg 900 cacgaggccg agcaggcccg ctcccaggcc ctcgaggagg cagcgcgtct ctgcgcggag 960 ctggaggctg aggaggagga aaaagatgag cggccggcga cgtcgagcta cagcgaggag 1020 tgcaaagggc gactgctatc gagggcgcgg ccggatccgc ggaggccgct gccgcggccg 1080 ttcattggga tgtcactgtt ggaggatgtg gagaagagta ttctcattgt ggacgggctc 1140 tacagggatg ggccggcgta ccagacgggc atccgcctcg gggatgtcct cttgcgtatc 1200 gcgggggttt acgtggattc aatagcgaag gcgaggcagg tggtcgatgc gcgttgccgc 1260 tgcggctgcg tcgttcccgt gacgctggcg acgaagatga accagcagta cagcgtggct 1320 ctgtatatca tgacggtgga tccgcagcac aacgacaagc cctttttttt tgatgtgcac 1380 atccaccacc gcatcgagag ctcgcacatg gggaagaagg cgcagtggat ggaagttctt 1440 gagagcccat ccgtatcttc ggctgccacc acccctctcg tgccgctctt gcgtgagccg 1500 acgccgcgta ggggctcaga gctgcagtca agtgctcgtt ccgccttcgt tgccacgtct 1560 tacttctcga gcgcgcgcag gtcggtcagc tcagaaagtg agcgaccgcg cgggtcctct 1620 agcgtggcta tggcggagga ggcgatcgcg ctggcgccgc aagggtatac cccacccaac 1680 caagtgcgcg gccgtagttg acgtctctgt gtgagtgtgt gtcgctccgt ctccttcctt 1740 tttcgtcatg tgttttattc atttcttttt c 1771 8 566 PRT Leishmania tropica 8 Gln Ala Arg Val Gln Ala Leu Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Arg Ala Glu 1 5 10 15 Leu Glu Ala Ala Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Asp Val Met His Ala Ala 20 25 30 Glu Gln Ala Arg Val Gln Ala Leu Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Arg Ala 35 40 45 Glu Leu Glu Glu Ala Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Asp Val Met His Ala 50 55 60 Ala Glu Gln Ala Arg Val Gln Ala Leu Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Arg 65 70 75 80 Ala Glu Leu Glu Ala Ala Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Glu Ala Met His 85 90 95 Glu Ala Glu Gln Ala Arg Ser Gln Ala Leu Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu 100 105 110 Arg Ala Glu Leu Glu Glu Ala Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Asp Val Met 115 120 125 His Ala Ala Glu Gln Ala Arg Val Gln Ala Leu Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg 130 135 140 Leu Arg Ala Glu Leu Glu Glu Ala Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Glu Ala 145 150 155 160 Met His Glu Ala Glu Gln Ala Arg Ser Gln Ala Leu Glu Glu Ala Ala 165 170 175 Arg Leu Arg Ala Glu Leu Glu Ala Ala Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Asp 180 185 190 Val Met His Glu Ala Glu Gln Ala Arg Val Gln Ala Leu Glu Glu Ala 195 200 205 Ala Arg Leu Asp Val Met His Glu Ala Glu Gln Ala Arg Val Gln Ala 210 215 220 Leu Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Arg Ala Glu Leu Glu Ala Ala Glu Glu 225 230 235 240 Ala Ala Arg Leu Asp Val Met His Glu Ala Glu Gln Ala Arg Val Gln 245 250 255 Ala Leu Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Arg Ala Glu Leu Glu Ala Ala Glu 260 265 270 Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Asp Val Met His Glu Gly Glu Gln Ala Arg Val 275 280 285 Gln Ala Leu Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Glu Ala Met His Glu Ala Glu 290 295 300 Gln Ala Arg Ser Gln Ala Leu Glu Glu Ala Ala Arg Leu Cys Ala Glu 305 310 315 320 Leu Glu Ala Glu Glu Glu Glu Lys Asp Glu Arg Pro Ala Thr Ser Ser 325 330 335 Tyr Ser Glu Glu Cys Lys Gly Arg Leu Leu Ser Arg Ala Arg Pro Asp 340 345 350 Pro Arg Arg Pro Leu Pro Arg Pro Phe Ile Gly Met Ser Leu Leu Glu 355 360 365 Asp Val Glu Lys Ser Ile Leu Ile Val Asp Gly Leu Tyr Arg Asp Gly 370 375 380 Pro Ala Tyr Gln Thr Gly Ile Arg Leu Gly Asp Val Leu Leu Arg Ile 385 390 395 400 Ala Gly Val Tyr Val Asp Ser Ile Ala Lys Ala Arg Gln Val Val Asp 405 410 415 Ala Arg Cys Arg Cys Gly Cys Val Val Pro Val Thr Leu Ala Thr Lys 420 425 430 Met Asn Gln Gln Tyr Ser Val Ala Leu Tyr Ile Met Thr Val Asp Pro 435 440 445 Gln His Asn Asp Lys Pro Phe Phe Phe Asp Val His Ile His His Arg 450 455 460 Ile Glu Ser Ser His Met Gly Lys Lys Ala Gln Trp Met Glu Val Leu 465 470 475 480 Glu Ser Pro Ser Val Ser Ser Ala Ala Thr Thr Pro Leu Val Pro Leu 485 490 495 Leu Arg Glu Pro Thr Pro Arg Arg Gly Ser Glu Leu Gln Ser Ser Ala 500 505 510 Arg Ser Ala Phe Val Ala Thr Ser Tyr Phe Ser Ser Ala Arg Arg Ser 515 520 525 Val Ser Ser Glu Ser Glu Arg Pro Arg Gly Ser Ser Ser Val Ala Met 530 535 540 Ala Glu Glu Ala Ile Ala Leu Ala Pro Gln Gly Tyr Thr Pro Pro Asn 545 550 555 560 Gln Val Arg Gly Arg Ser 565 9 1618 DNA Leishmania braziliensis 9 ccactctctc ggtcgtctgt ctcccacgcg cgcacgcagt tgatttccgc cttcttaaac 60 gctctctttt tttttatttt tcacctgacc aaccgcacca cgtcggcctc catcatgtcg 120 cagcaagacc gagttgcccc acaggaccag gactcgttcc tcgacgacca gcccggcgtc 180 cgcccgatcc cgtccttcga tgacatgccg ttgcaccaga accttctgcg cggcatctac 240 tcgtacggct tcgagaaacc gtccagcatc cagcagcgcg ccatcgcccc cttcacgcgc 300 ggcggcgaca tcatcgcgca ggcgcagtcc ggtaccggca agacgggcgc cttctccatc 360 ggcctgctgc agcgcctgga cttccgccac aacctgatcc agggcctcgt gctctccccg 420 acccgcgagc tggccctgca gacggcggag gtgatcagcc gcatcggcga gttcctgtcg 480 aacagcgcga agttctgtga gacctttgtg ggtggcacgc gcgtgcagga tgacctgcgc 540 aagctgcagg ctggcgtcgt cgtcgccgtg gggacgccgg gccgcgtgtc cgacgtgatc 600 aagcgcggcg cgctgcgcac cgagtccctg cgcgtgctgg tgctcgacga ggctgatgag 660 atgctgtctc agggcttcgc ggatcagatt tacgagatct tccgcttcct gccgaaggac 720 atccaggtcg cgctcttctc cgccacgatg ccggaggagg tgctggagct gacaaagaag 780 ttcatgcgcg accccgtacg cattctcgtg aagcgcgaga gcctgacgct ggagggcatc 840 aagcagttct tcatcgccgt cgaggaggag cacaagctgg acacgctgat ggacctgtac 900 gagaccgtgt ccatcgcgca gtccgtcatc ttcgccaaca cccgccgcaa ggtggactgg 960 atcgccgaga agctgaatca gagcaaccac accgtcagca gcatgcacgc cgagatgccc 1020 aagagcgacc gcgagcgcgt catgaacacc ttccgcagcg gcagctcccg cgtgctcgta 1080 acgaccgacc tcgtggcccg cggcatcgac gtgcaccacg tgaacatcgt catcaacttc 1140 gacctgccga cgaacaagga gaactacctg caccgcattg gccgcggcgg ccgctacggc 1200 gtaaagggtg ttgccatcaa cttcgtgacg gagaaagacg tggagctgct gcacgagatc 1260 gaggggcact accacacgca gatcgatgag ctcccggtgg actttgccgc ctacctcggc 1320 gagtgagcgg gcccctgccc cccttccctg cccccctctc gcgacgagag aacgcacatc 1380 gtaacacagc cacgcgaacg atagtaaggg cgtgcggcgg cgttcccctc ctcctgccag 1440 cggcccccct ccgcagcgct tctcttttga gaggggggca gggggaggcg ctgcgcctgg 1500 ctggatgtgt gcttgagctt gcattccgtc aagcaagtgc tttgttttaa ttatgcgcgc 1560 cgttttgttg ctcgtccctt tcgttggtgt tttttcggcc gaaacggcgt ttaaagca 1618 10 403 PRT Leishmania braziliensis 10 Met Ser Gln Gln Asp Arg Val Ala Pro Gln Asp Gln Asp Ser Phe Leu 1 5 10 15 Asp Asp Gln Pro Gly Val Arg Pro Ile Pro Ser Phe Asp Asp Met Pro 20 25 30 Leu His Gln Asn Leu Leu Arg Gly Ile Tyr Ser Tyr Gly Phe Glu Lys 35 40 45 Pro Ser Ser Ile Gln Gln Arg Ala Ile Ala Pro Phe Thr Arg Gly Gly 50 55 60 Asp Ile Ile Ala Gln Ala Gln Ser Gly Thr Gly Lys Thr Gly Ala Phe 65 70 75 80 Ser Ile Gly Leu Leu Gln Arg Leu Asp Phe Arg His Asn Leu Ile Gln 85 90 95 Gly Leu Val Leu Ser Pro Thr Arg Glu Leu Ala Leu Gln Thr Ala Glu 100 105 110 Val Ile Ser Arg Ile Gly Glu Phe Leu Ser Asn Ser Ala Lys Phe Cys 115 120 125 Glu Thr Phe Val Gly Gly Thr Arg Val Gln Asp Asp Leu Arg Lys Leu 130 135 140 Gln Ala Gly Val Val Val Ala Val Gly Thr Pro Gly Arg Val Ser Asp 145 150 155 160 Val Ile Lys Arg Gly Ala Leu Arg Thr Glu Ser Leu Arg Val Leu Val 165 170 175 Leu Asp Glu Ala Asp Glu Met Leu Ser Gln Gly Phe Ala Asp Gln Ile 180 185 190 Tyr Glu Ile Phe Arg Phe Leu Pro Lys Asp Ile Gln Val Ala Leu Phe 195 200 205 Ser Ala Thr Met Pro Glu Glu Val Leu Glu Leu Thr Lys Lys Phe Met 210 215 220 Arg Asp Pro Val Arg Ile Leu Val Lys Arg Glu Ser Leu Thr Leu Glu 225 230 235 240 Gly Ile Lys Gln Phe Phe Ile Ala Val Glu Glu Glu His Lys Leu Asp 245 250 255 Thr Leu Met Asp Leu Tyr Glu Thr Val Ser Ile Ala Gln Ser Val Ile 260 265 270 Phe Ala Asn Thr Arg Arg Lys Val Asp Trp Ile Ala Glu Lys Leu Asn 275 280 285 Gln Ser Asn His Thr Val Ser Ser Met His Ala Glu Met Pro Lys Ser 290 295 300 Asp Arg Glu Arg Val Met Asn Thr Phe Arg Ser Gly Ser Ser Arg Val 305 310 315 320 Leu Val Thr Thr Asp Leu Val Ala Arg Gly Ile Asp Val His His Val 325 330 335 Asn Ile Val Ile Asn Phe Asp Leu Pro Thr Asn Lys Glu Asn Tyr Leu 340 345 350 His Arg Ile Gly Arg Gly Gly Arg Tyr Gly Val Lys Gly Val Ala Ile 355 360 365 Asn Phe Val Thr Glu Lys Asp Val Glu Leu Leu His Glu Ile Glu Gly 370 375 380 His Tyr His Thr Gln Ile Asp Glu Leu Pro Val Asp Phe Ala Ala Tyr 385 390 395 400 Leu Gly Glu 11 12 PRT Leishmania donovani VARIANT (1)...(5) Xaa = any amino acid 11 Xaa Gln Xaa Pro Gln Xaa Val Phe Asp Glu Xaa Xaa 1 5 10 12 26 DNA Artificial Sequence Sense PCR pri mer 12 ggaattcccc ncagctngtn ttcgac 26 13 5 PRT Leishmania donovani 13 Lys Val Phe Asp Glu 1 5 14 30 DNA Artificial Sequence PCR primer 14 ggatccatgg tcaagtccca ctacatctgc 30 15 33 DNA Artificial Sequence PCR primer 15 gaattcagac cggatagaaa taagccaatg aaa 33 16 701 PRT Leishmania amozonensis 16 Met Thr Glu Thr Phe Ala Phe Gln Ala Glu Ile Asn Gln Leu Met Ser 1 5 10 15 Leu lle Ile Asn Thr Phe Tyr Ser Asn Lys Glu Ile Phe Leu Arg Asp 20 25 30 Val Ile Ser Asn Ala Ser Asp Ala Cys Asp Lys Ile Arg Tyr Gln Ser 35 40 45 Leu Thr Asp Pro Ala Val Leu Gly Asp Ala Thr Arg Leu Cys Val Arg 50 55 60 Val Val Pro Asp Lys Glu Asn Lys Thr Leu Thr Val Glu Asp Asn Gly 65 70 75 80 Ile Gly Met Thr Lys Ala Asp Leu Val Asn Asn Leu Gly Thr Ile Ala 85 90 95 Arg Ser Gly Thr Lys Ala Phe Met Glu Ala Leu Glu Ala Gly Ala Asp 100 105 110 Met Ser Met Ile Gly Gln Phe Gly Val Gly Phe Tyr Ser Ala Tyr Leu 115 120 125 Val Ala Asp Arg Val Thr Val Thr Ser Lys Asn Asn Ser Asp Glu Val 130 135 140 Tyr Val Trp Glu Ser Ser Ala Gly Gly Thr Phe Thr Ile Thr Ser Ala 145 150 155 160 Pro Glu Ser Asp Met Lys Leu Pro Ala Arg Ile Thr Leu His Leu Lys 165 170 175 Glu Asp Gln Leu Glu Tyr Leu Glu Ala Arg Arg Leu Lys Glu Leu Ile 180 185 190 Lys Lys His Ser Glu Phe Ile Gly Tyr Asp Ile Glu Leu Met Val Glu 195 200 205 Lys Thr Thr Glu Lys Glu Val Thr Asp Glu Asp Glu Glu Glu Ala Lys 210 215 220 Lys Ala Asp Glu Asp Gly Glu Glu Pro Lys Val Glu Glu Val Thr Glu 225 230 235 240 Gly Glu Glu Asp Lys Lys Lys Lys Thr Lys Lys Val Lys Glu Val Thr 245 250 255 Lys Glu Tyr Glu Val Gln Asn Lys His Lys Pro Leu Trp Thr Arg Asp 260 265 270 Pro Lys Asp Val Thr Lys Glu Glu Tyr Ala Ala Phe Tyr Lys Ala Ile 275 280 285 Ser Asn Asp Trp Glu Asp Pro Pro Ala Thr Lys His Phe Ser Val Glu 290 295 300 Gly Gln Leu Glu Phe Arg Ala Ile Met Phe Val Pro Lys Arg Ala Pro 305 310 315 320 Phe Asp Met Leu Glu Pro Asn Lys Lys Arg Asn Asn Ile Lys Leu Tyr 325 330 335 Val Arg Arg Val Phe Ile Met Asp Asn Cys Glu Asp Leu Cys Pro Asp 340 345 350 Trp Leu Gly Phe Val Lys Gly Val Val Asp Ser Glu Asp Leu Pro Leu 355 360 365 Asn Ile Ser Arg Glu Asn Leu Gln Gln Asn Lys Ile Leu Lys Val Ile 370 375 380 Arg Lys Asn Ile Val Lys Lys Cys Leu Glu Met Phe Glu Glu Val Ala 385 390 395 400 Glu Asn Lys Glu Asp Tyr Lys Gln Phe Tyr Glu Gln Phe Gly Lys Asn 405 410 415 Ile Lys Leu Gly Ile His Glu Asp Thr Ala Asn Arg Lys Lys Leu Met 420 425 430 Glu Leu Leu Arg Phe Tyr Ser Thr Glu Ser Gly Glu Val Met Thr Thr 435 440 445 Leu Lys Asp Tyr Val Thr Arg Met Lys Ala Glu Gln Asn Ser Ile Tyr 450 455 460 Tyr Ile Thr Gly Asp Ser Lys Lys Lys Leu Glu Ser Ser Pro Phe Ile 465 470 475 480 Glu Gln Ala Lys Arg Arg Gly Phe Glu Val Leu Phe Met Thr Glu Pro 485 490 495 Tyr Asp Glu Tyr Val Met Gln Gln Val Lys Asp Phe Glu Asp Lys Lys 500 505 510 Phe Ala Cys Leu Thr Lys Glu Gly Val His Phe Glu Glu Ser Glu Glu 515 520 525 Glu Lys Lys Gln Arg Glu Glu Glu Lys Ala Thr Cys Glu Lys Leu Cys 530 535 540 Lys Thr Met Lys Glu Val Leu Gly Asp Lys Val Glu Lys Val Thr Val 545 550 555 560 Ser Glu Arg Leu Ser Thr Ser Pro Cys Ile Leu Val Thr Ser Glu Phe 565 570 575 Gly Trp Ser Ala His Met Glu Gln Met Met Arg Asn Gln Ala Leu Arg 580 585 590 Asp Ser Ser Met Ala Gln Tyr Met Met Ser Lys Lys Thr Met Glu Leu 595 600 605 Asn Pro Lys His Pro Ile Ile Lys Glu Leu Arg Arg Arg Val Glu Ala 610 615 620 Asp Glu Asn Asp Lys Ala Val Lys Asp Leu Val Phe Leu Leu Phe Asp 625 630 635 640 Thr Ser Leu Leu Thr Ser Gly Phe Gln Leu Glu Asp Pro Thr Tyr Ala 645 650 655 Glu Arg Ile Asn Arg Met Ile Lys Leu Gly Leu Ser Leu Asp Glu Glu 660 665 670 Glu Glu Glu Glu Ala Val Glu Ala Ala Val Ala Glu Thr Ala Pro Ala 675 680 685 Glu Val Thr Ala Gly Thr Ser Ser Met Glu Leu Val Asp 690 695 700 17 704 PRT T. Cruzi 17 Met Thr Glu Thr Phe Ala Phe Gln Ala Glu Ile Asn Gln Leu Met Ser 1 5 10 15 Leu Ile Ile Asn Thr Phe Tyr Ser Asn Lys Glu Ile Phe Leu Arg Glu 20 25 30 Leu Ile Ser Asn Ala Ser Asp Ala Cys Asp Lys Ile Arg Tyr Gln Ser 35 40 45 Leu Thr Asn Gln Ala Val Leu Gly Asp Glu Ser His Leu Arg Ile Arg 50 55 60 Val Val Pro Asp Lys Ala Asn Lys Thr Leu Thr Val Glu Asp Thr Gly 65 70 75 80 Ile Gly Met Thr Lys Ala Glu Leu Val Asn Asn Leu Gly Thr Ile Ala 85 90 95 Arg Ser Gly Thr Lys Ala Phe Met Glu Ala Leu Glu Ala Gly Gly Asp 100 105 110 Met Ser Met Ile Gly Gln Phe Gly Val Gly Phe Tyr Ser Ala Tyr Leu 115 120 125 Val Ala Asp Arg Val Thr Val Val Ser Lys Asn Asn Asp Asp Glu Ala 130 135 140 Tyr Thr Trp Glu Ser Ser Ala Gly Gly Thr Phe Thr Val Thr Pro Thr 145 150 155 160 Pro Asp Cys Asp Leu Lys Arg Gly Thr Arg Ile Val Leu His Leu Lys 165 170 175 Glu Asp Gln Gln Glu Tyr Leu Glu Glu Arg Arg Leu Lys Asp Leu Ile 180 185 190 Lys Lys His Ser Glu Phe Ile Gly Tyr Asp Ile Glu Leu Met Val Glu 195 200 205 Lys Ala Thr Glu Lys Glu Val Thr Asp Glu Asp Glu Asp Glu Ala Ala 210 215 220 Ala Thr Lys Asn Glu Glu Gly Glu Glu Pro Lys Val Glu Glu Val Lys 225 230 235 240 Asp Asp Ala Glu Glu Gly Glu Lys Lys Lys Lys Thr Lys Lys Val Lys 245 250 255 Glu Val Thr Gln Glu Phe Val Val Gln Asn Lys His Lys Pro Leu Trp 260 265 270 Thr Arg Asp Pro Lys Asp Val Thr Lys Glu Glu Tyr Ala Ala Phe Tyr 275 280 285 Lys Ala Ile Ser Asn Asp Trp Glu Glu Pro Leu Ser Thr Lys His Phe 290 295 300 Ser Val Glu Gly Gln Leu Glu Phe Arg Ala Ile Leu Phe Val Pro Lys 305 310 315 320 Arg Ala Pro Phe Asp Met Phe Glu Pro Ser Lys Lys Arg Asn Asn Ile 325 330 335 Lys Leu Tyr Val Arg Arg Val Phe Ile Met Asp Asn Cys Glu Asp Leu 340 345 350 Cys Pro Glu Trp Leu Ala Phe Val Arg Gly Val Val Asp Ser Glu Asp 355 360 365 Leu Pro Leu Asn Ile Ser Arg Glu Asn Leu Gln Gln Asn Lys Ile Leu 370 375 380 Lys Val Ile Arg Lys Asn Ile Val Lys Lys Ala Leu Glu Leu Phe Glu 385 390 395 400 Glu Ile Ala Glu Asn Lys Glu Asp Tyr Lys Lys Phe Tyr Glu Gln Phe 405 410 415 Gly Lys Asn Val Lys Leu Gly Ile His Glu Asp Ser Ala Asn Arg Lys 420 425 430 Lys Leu Met Glu Leu Leu Arg Phe His Ser Ser Glu Ser Gly Glu Asp 435 440 445 Met Thr Thr Leu Lys Asp Tyr Val Thr Arg Met Lys Glu Gly Gln Lys 450 455 460 Cys Ile Tyr Tyr Val Thr Gly Asp Ser Lys Lys Lys Leu Glu Thr Ser 465 470 475 480 Pro Phe Ile Glu Gln Ala Arg Arg Arg Gly Phe Glu Val Leu Phe Met 485 490 495 Thr Glu Pro Ile Asp Glu Tyr Val Met Gln Gln Val Lys Asp Phe Glu 500 505 510 Asp Lys Lys Phe Ala Cys Leu Thr Lys Glu Gly Val His Phe Glu Glu 515 520 525 Thr Glu Glu Glu Lys Lys Gln Arg Glu Glu Glu Lys Thr Ala Tyr Glu 530 535 540 Arg Leu Cys Lys Ala Met Lys Asp Val Leu Gly Asp Lys Val Glu Lys 545 550 555 560 Val Val Val Ser Glu Arg Leu Ala Thr Ser Pro Cys Ile Leu Val Thr 565 570 575 Ser Glu Phe Gly Trp Ser Ala His Met Glu Gln Ile Met Arg Asn Gln 580 585 590 Ala Leu Arg Asp Ser Ser Met Ser Ala Tyr Met Met Ser Lys Lys Thr 595 600 605 Met Glu Ile Asn Pro Ala His Pro Ile Val Lys Glu Leu Lys Arg Arg 610 615 620 Val Glu Ala Asp Glu Asn Asp Lys Ala Val Lys Asp Leu Val Tyr Leu 625 630 635 640 Leu Phe Asp Thr Ala Leu Leu Thr Ser Gly Phe Thr Leu Asp Asp Pro 645 650 655 Thr Ser Tyr Ala Glu Arg Ile His Arg Met Ile Lys Leu Gly Leu Ser 660 665 670 Leu Asp Asp Glu Asp Asn Gly Asn Glu Glu Ala Glu Pro Ala Ala Ala 675 680 685 Val Pro Ala Glu Pro Val Ala Gly Thr Ser Ser Met Glu Gln Val Asp 690 695 700 18 732 PRT Homo sapien 18 Met Pro Glu Glu Thr Gln Thr Gln Asp Gln Pro Met Glu Glu Glu Glu 1 5 10 15 Val Glu Thr Phe Ala Phe Gln Ala Glu Ile Ala Gln Leu Met Ser Leu 20 25 30 Ile Ile Asn Thr Phe Tyr Ser Asn Lys Glu Ile Phe Leu Arg Glu Leu 35 40 45 Ile Ser Asn Ser Ser Asp Ala Leu Asp Lys Ile Arg Tyr Glu Ser Leu 50 55 60 Thr Asp Pro Ser Lys Leu Asp Ser Gly Lys Glu Leu His Ile Asn Leu 65 70 75 80 Ile Pro Asn Lys Gln Asp Arg Ala Leu Thr Ile Val Asp Thr Gly Ile 85 90 95 Gly Met Thr Lys Ala Asp Leu Ile Asn Asn Leu Gly Thr Ile Ala Lys 100 105 110 Ser Gly Thr Lys Ala Phe Met Glu Ala Leu Gln Ala Gly Ala Asp Ile 115 120 125 Ser Met Ile Gly Gln Phe Gly Val Gly Phe Tyr Ser Ala Tyr Leu Val 130 135 140 Ala Glu Lys Val Thr Val Ile Thr Lys His Asn Asp Asp Glu Gln Tyr 145 150 155 160 Ala Trp Glu Ser Ser Ala Gly Gly Ser Phe Thr Val Arg Thr Asp Thr 165 170 175 Gly Glu Pro Met Gly Arg Gly Thr Lys Val Ile Leu His Leu Lys Glu 180 185 190 Asp Gln Thr Glu Tyr Leu Glu Glu Arg Arg Ile Lys Glu Ile Val Lys 195 200 205 Lys His Ser Gln Phe Ile Gly Tyr Pro Ile Thr Leu Phe Val Glu Lys 210 215 220 Glu Arg Asp Lys Glu Val Ser Asp Asp Glu Ala Glu Glu Lys Glu Asp 225 230 235 240 Lys Glu Glu Glu Lys Glu Lys Glu Glu Lys Glu Ser Glu Asp Lys Pro 245 250 255 Glu Ile Glu Asp Val Gly Ser Asp Glu Glu Asp Glu Lys Lys Asp Gly 260 265 270 Asp Lys Lys Lys Lys Lys Lys Ile Lys Glu Lys Tyr Ile Asp Lys Glu 275 280 285 Glu Leu Asn Lys Thr Lys Pro Ile Trp Thr Arg Asn Pro Asp Asp Ile 290 295 300 Thr Asn Glu Glu Tyr Gly Glu Phe Tyr Lys Ser Leu Thr Asn Asp Trp 305 310 315 320 Glu Asp His Leu Ala Val Lys His Phe Ser Val Glu Gly Gln Leu Glu 325 330 335 Phe Arg Ala Leu Leu Phe Val Pro Arg Arg Ala Pro Phe Asp Leu Phe 340 345 350 Glu Asn Arg Lys Lys Lys Asn Asn Ile Lys Leu Tyr Val Arg Arg Val 355 360 365 Phe Ile Met Asp Asn Cys Glu Glu Leu Ile Pro Glu Tyr Leu Asn Phe 370 375 380 Ile Arg Gly Val Val Asp Ser Glu Asp Leu Pro Leu Asn Ile Ser Arg 385 390 395 400 Glu Met Leu Gln Gln Ser Lys Ile Leu Lys Val Ile Arg Lys Asn Leu 405 410 415 Val Lys Lys Cys Leu Glu Leu Phe Thr Glu Leu Ala Glu Asp Lys Glu 420 425 430 Asn Tyr Lys Lys Phe Tyr Glu Gln Phe Ser Lys Asn Ile Lys Leu Gly 435 440 445 Ile His Glu Asp Ser Gln Asn Arg Lys Lys Leu Ser Glu Leu Leu Arg 450 455 460 Tyr Tyr Thr Ser Ala Ser Gly Asp Glu Met Val Ser Leu Lys Asp Tyr 465 470 475 480 Cys Thr Arg Met Lys Glu Asn Gln Lys His Ile Tyr Tyr Ile Thr Gly 485 490 495 Glu Thr Lys Asp Gln Val Ala Asn Ser Ala Phe Val Glu Arg Leu Arg 500 505 510 Lys His Gly Leu Glu Val Ile Tyr Met Ile Glu Pro Ile Asp Glu Tyr 515 520 525 Cys Val Gln Gln Leu Lys Glu Phe Glu Gly Lys Thr Leu Val Ser Val 530 535 540 Thr Lys Glu Gly Leu Glu Leu Pro Glu Asp Glu Glu Glu Lys Lys Lys 545 550 555 560 Gln Glu Glu Lys Lys Thr Lys Phe Glu Asn Leu Cys Lys Ile Met Lys 565 570 575 Asp Ile Leu Glu Lys Lys Val Glu Lys Val Val Val Ser Asn Arg Leu 580 585 590 Val Thr Ser Pro Cys Cys Leu Val Thr Ser Thr Tyr Gly Trp Thr Ala 595 600 605 Asn Met Glu Arg Ile Met Lys Ala Gln Ala Leu Arg Asp Asn Ser Thr 610 615 620 Met Gly Tyr Met Ala Ala Lys Lys His Leu Glu Ile Asn Pro Asp His 625 630 635 640 Ser Ile Ile Glu Thr Leu Arg Gln Lys Ala Glu Ala Asp Lys Asn Asp 645 650 655 Lys Ser Val Lys Asp Leu Val Ile Leu Leu Tyr Glu Thr Ala Leu Leu 660 665 670 Ser Ser Gly Phe Ser Leu Glu Asp Pro Gln Thr His Ala Asn Arg Ile 675 680 685 Tyr Arg Met Ile Lys Leu Gly Leu Gly Ile Asp Glu Asp Asp Pro Thr 690 695 700 Ala Asp Asp Thr Ser Ala Ala Val Thr Glu Glu Met Pro Pro Leu Glu 705 710 715 720 Gly Asp Asp Asp Thr Ser Arg Met Glu Glu Val Asp 725 730 19 1019 DNA Leishmania major 19 gaattcggca cgaggtttct gtactttatt gcttccagcc tttattcact cttcgatttc 60 ctctaacacc atgtcctccg agcgcacctt tattgccgtc aagccggacg gcgtgcagcg 120 cggcctcgtt ggcgagatca tcgcccgctt cgagcgcaag ggctacaagc tcgtcgcctt 180 gaagatactg cagccgacga cggagcaggc ccagggtcac tataaggacc tttgctccaa 240 gccgtttttc ccggcccttg tgaagtactt ctcctctggc ccgatcgtgt gtatggtgtg 300 ggagggtaag aacgtggtga agagcggccg cgtgctgctc ggcgcgacga acccggccga 360 ctcacagccc ggcacgatcc gtggcgactt tgccgtggat gtgggccgca acgtgtgcca 420 cgggtccgac tctgtggaga gcgcggagcg cgagatcgcc ttttggttca aggcggatga 480 gatcgcgagc tggacgtcgc actccgtgtc ccagatctat gagtaacggt gattgcggac 540 acgctttgag gacgtagctg tacccccaat gaattcttct ctgaaaacca catcataagc 600 ctcttaagag gttatttttc ttgatcgatg cccggtggtg accagcacca ttcctttatc 660 ggattcactc acactcctag cgaatcatgt agtgcggtga gagtgggctc tggaggagac 720 tgttgtgtag ccatggcttc aggagagaaa acaaaataca aggaaaggca atatgtaact 780 atggggttcc cttttttact atgcaaagtt tttataactc ctgatcggca aaaacaacaa 840 caaccgccat acaccaagag caaatgcttt cttctgcgga ctgtgcttct gttttttttt 900 atgaaggagt gactcgcgcg atgaaaagtg tgtgcgtggg agatgtattt cctttttttg 960 ttcatagtgg cgacagctca ctgttgacga tgacaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa aaactcgag 1019 20 151 PRT Leishmania major 20 Met Ser Ser Glu Arg Thr Phe Ile Ala Val Lys Pro Asp Gly Val Gln 1 5 10 15 Arg Gly Leu Val Gly Glu Ile Ile Ala Arg Phe Glu Arg Lys Gly Tyr 20 25 30 Lys Leu Val Ala Leu Lys Ile Leu Gln Pro Thr Thr Glu Gln Ala Gln 35 40 45 Gly His Tyr Lys Asp Leu Cys Ser Lys Pro Phe Phe Pro Ala Leu Val 50 55 60 Lys Tyr Phe Ser Ser Gly Pro Ile Val Cys Met Val Trp Glu Gly Lys 65 70 75 80 Asn Val Val Lys Ser Gly Arg Val Leu Leu Gly Ala Thr Asn Pro Ala 85 90 95 Asp Ser Gln Pro Gly Thr Ile Arg Gly Asp Phe Ala Val Asp Val Gly 100 105 110 Arg Asn Val Cys His Gly Ser Asp Ser Val Glu Ser Ala Glu Arg Glu 115 120 125 Ile Ala Phe Trp Phe Lys Ala Asp Glu Ile Ala Ser Trp Thr Ser His 130 135 140 Ser Val Ser Gln Ile Tyr Glu 145 150 21 1523 DNA Leishmania major 21 gaattcggca cgagtgctgc ccgacatgac atgctcgctg accggacttc agtgcacaga 60 cccgaactgc aagacctgca caacttacgg tcagtgcaca gactgcaacg acggctacgg 120 tctcacctcc tccagcgttt gcgtgcgctg cagtgtagcg ggctgcaaga gctgccccgt 180 cgacgctaac gtctgcaaag tgtgtctcgg cggcagcgag ccgatcaaca atatgtgccc 240 ctgcaccgac cccaactgcg ccagctgccc cagcgacgct ggcacgtgca ctcagtgcgc 300 gaacggctac ggtctcgtgg acggcgcctg tgtgagatgc caggagccca actgcttcag 360 ctgcgacagc gacgcgaata agtgcacaca atgtgcgccg aactactacc tcaccccgct 420 cttgacctgc tccccggtgg cctgcaacat cgagcactgc atgcagtgcg acccacagac 480 gccgtcgcgc tgccaggagt gcgtgtcccc ctacgtggtt gacagctacg acggcctctg 540 caggctctcc gatgcctgct ccgtgcccaa ctgcaagaag tgcgagaccg gtacctccag 600 gctctgcgcc gagtgcgaca ccggctacag tctctccgcc gacgcgacga gctgcagcag 660 tccaaccacg cagccgtgcg aggtggagca ctgcaacaca tgtgtgaacg gcgatagcac 720 ccgctgtgcc tactgcaaca ccggctacta cgtctccgat ggcaagtgca aggccatgca 780 gggctgctac gtgtcgaact gcgcgcagtg catgctgctt gacagcacca agtgctccac 840 gtgcgtgaaa gggtacctgc tcacgtcgtc ctacagttgc gtctcgcaga aagtcatcaa 900 cagtgcggcc gcgccctact ctctgtgggt ggccgccgcc gtgctcctca cctcttttgc 960 catgcaccta gcatagtgcg cagcggcatg cgaacaaccc cactctcatt ctccaacatg 1020 tgcatacaca cacacacaga cagcggggca gcaccccctc cccacacaca cacacgcact 1080 tcccccttgt cttgttcttc tttcctcgtt cgcatttctt tctctcgtgc gctggcgccg 1140 gcctcctgca cgtcgctccc ctccccctaa cctctattct ctctctctct ctctctcgcc 1200 ggcatcattg cttcttaccc ttttctgatc cttgctcgcg tgggcggaca ctgccacagt 1260 cccacagcgc agacacacgt gtttaaacgg cgcaggcatc cctccctatc acttcatttc 1320 tcctaaagcc actcaccaag tcgcacaccg ccctccccca tcggccgccc ttccgggcgc 1380 agctgtgcgg aatgggtgtg tgctcgacct cgttcctggc agctcactcg catgtgtaca 1440 gccactccaa ccacgaaagc tctcttctgc gcacataaaa aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaact 1500 cgaggggggg cccggtaccc aaa 1523 22 320 PRT Leishmania major 22 Val Leu Pro Asp Met Thr Cys Ser Leu Thr Gly Leu Gln Cys Thr Asp 1 5 10 15 Pro Asn Cys Lys Thr Cys Thr Thr Tyr Gly Gln Cys Thr Asp Cys Asn 20 25 30 Asp Gly Tyr Gly Leu Thr Ser Ser Ser Val Cys Val Arg Cys Ser Val 35 40 45 Ala Gly Cys Lys Ser Cys Pro Val Asp Ala Asn Val Cys Lys Val Cys 50 55 60 Leu Gly Gly Ser Glu Pro Ile Asn Asn Met Cys Pro Cys Thr Asp Pro 65 70 75 80 Asn Cys Ala Ser Cys Pro Ser Asp Ala Gly Thr Cys Thr Gln Cys Ala 85 90 95 Asn Gly Tyr Gly Leu Val Asp Gly Ala Cys Val Arg Cys Gln Glu Pro 100 105 110 Asn Cys Phe Ser Cys Asp Ser Asp Ala Asn Lys Cys Thr Gln Cys Ala 115 120 125 Pro Asn Tyr Tyr Leu Thr Pro Leu Leu Thr Cys Ser Pro Val Ala Cys 130 135 140 Asn Ile Glu His Cys Met Gln Cys Asp Pro Gln Thr Pro Ser Arg Cys 145 150 155 160 Gln Glu Cys Val Ser Pro Tyr Val Val Asp Ser Tyr Asp Gly Leu Cys 165 170 175 Arg Leu Ser Asp Ala Cys Ser Val Pro Asn Cys Lys Lys Cys Glu Thr 180 185 190 Gly Thr Ser Arg Leu Cys Ala Glu Cys Asp Thr Gly Tyr Ser Leu Ser 195 200 205 Ala Asp Ala Thr Ser Cys Ser Ser Pro Thr Thr Gln Pro Cys Glu Val 210 215 220 Glu His Cys Asn Thr Cys Val Asn Gly Asp Ser Thr Arg Cys Ala Tyr 225 230 235 240 Cys Asn Thr Gly Tyr Tyr Val Ser Asp Gly Lys Cys Lys Ala Met Gln 245 250 255 Gly Cys Tyr Val Ser Asn Cys Ala Gln Cys Met Leu Leu Asp Ser Thr 260 265 270 Lys Cys Ser Thr Cys Val Lys Gly Tyr Leu Leu Thr Ser Ser Tyr Ser 275 280 285 Cys Val Ser Gln Lys Val Ile Asn Ser Ala Ala Ala Pro Tyr Ser Leu 290 295 300 Trp Val Ala Ala Ala Val Leu Leu Thr Ser Phe Ala Met His Leu Ala 305 310 315 320 23 797 DNA Leishmania major 23 ctgtacttta ttgccaccag ccagccatgt cctgcggtaa cgccaagatc aactctcccg 60 cgccgtcctt cgaggaggtg gcgctcatgc ccaacggcag cttcaagaag atcagcctct 120 cctcctacaa gggcaagtgg gtcgtgctct tcttctaccc gctcgacttt agcttcgtgt 180 gcccgacaga ggtcatcgcg ttctccgaca gcgtgagtcg cttcaacgag ctcaactgcg 240 aggtcctcgc gtgctcgata gacagcgagt acgcgcacct gcagtggacg ctgcaggacc 300 gcaagaaggg cggcctcggg accatggcga tcccaatgct agccgacaag accaagagca 360 tcgctcgttc ctacggcgtg ctggaggaga gccagggcgt ggcctaccgc ggtctcttca 420 tcatcgaccc ccatggcatg ctgcgtcaga tcaccgtcaa tgacatgccg gtgggccgca 480 gcgtggagga ggttctacgc ctgctggagg cttttcagtt cgtggagaag cacggcgagg 540 tgtgccccgc gaactggaag aagggcgccc ccacgatgaa gccggaaccg aatgcgtctg 600 tcgagggata cttcagcaag cagtaaacct gtgagcgtcg caggagtcag tgtgacctca 660 cccgcctctg ccagtgggtg cgagagggcg tgagggattg tgggaaggct gttggatatg 720 atgcagacag cgatgaatgc aactcccaca cactggccct cctcagccct ctccacacag 780 acacacgcac gcatgtg 797 24 199 PRT Leishmania major 24 Met Ser Cys Gly Asn Ala Lys Ile Asn Ser Pro Ala Pro Ser Phe Glu 1 5 10 15 Glu Val Ala Leu Met Pro Asn Gly Ser Phe Lys Lys Ile Ser Leu Ser 20 25 30 Ser Tyr Lys Gly Lys Trp Val Val Leu Phe Phe Tyr Pro Leu Asp Phe 35 40 45 Ser Phe Val Cys Pro Thr Glu Val Ile Ala Phe Ser Asp Ser Val Ser 50 55 60 Arg Phe Asn Glu Leu Asn Cys Glu Val Leu Ala Cys Ser Ile Asp Ser 65 70 75 80 Glu Tyr Ala His Leu Gln Trp Thr Leu Gln Asp Arg Lys Lys Gly Gly 85 90 95 Leu Gly Thr Met Ala Ile Pro Met Leu Ala Asp Lys Thr Lys Ser Ile 100 105 110 Ala Arg Ser Tyr Gly Val Leu Glu Glu Ser Gln Gly Val Ala Tyr Arg 115 120 125 Gly Leu Phe Ile Ile Asp Pro His Gly Met Leu Arg Gln Ile Thr Val 130 135 140 Asn Asp Met Pro Val Gly Arg Ser Val Glu Glu Val Leu Arg Leu Leu 145 150 155 160 Glu Ala Phe Gln Phe Val Glu Lys His Gly Glu Val Cys Pro Ala Asn 165 170 175 Trp Lys Lys Gly Ala Pro Thr Met Lys Pro Glu Pro Asn Ala Ser Val 180 185 190 Glu Gly Tyr Phe Ser Lys Gln 195 25 637 DNA Leishmania tropica 25 ttacatatgc atcaccacca ccaccacatg tcctgcggta acgccaagat caactctccc 60 gcgccgccct tcgaggagat ggcgctcatg cccaacggca gcttcaagaa gatcagcctc 120 tccgcctaca agggcaagtg ggtcgtgctc ttcttctacc cgctcgactt caccttcgtg 180 tgcccgacag agatcatcgc gttctccgac aacgtgagtc gcttcaacga gctcaactgc 240 gaggtcctcg cgtgctcgat ggacagcgag tacgcgcacc tgcagtggac gctgcaggac 300 cgcaagaagg gcggcctcgg ggccatggcg atcccaatgc tggccgacaa gactaagagc 360 atcgctcgtt cctacggcgt gctggaggag agccagggcg tggcctaccg cggtctcttc 420 atcatcgacc cccgtggcat ggtgcgtcag atcaccgtca acgacatgcc ggtgggccgc 480 aacgtggagg aggctctgcg cctgctggag gctttgcagt tcgtggagaa gcacggcgag 540 gtgtgccccg cgaactggaa gaagggcgcc cccacgatga agccggaacc gaaggcgtct 600 gtcgagggat acttcagcaa gcagtaagaa ttccatg 637 26 206 PRT Leishmania tropica 26 Met His His His His His His Met Ser Cys Gly Asn Ala Lys Ile Asn 1 5 10 15 Ser Pro Ala Pro Pro Phe Glu Glu Met Ala Leu Met Pro Asn Gly Ser 20 25 30 Phe Lys Lys Ile Ser Leu Ser Ala Tyr Lys Gly Lys Trp Val Val Leu 35 40 45 Phe Phe Tyr Pro Leu Asp Phe Thr Phe Val Cys Pro Thr Glu Ile Ile 50 55 60 Ala Phe Ser Asp Asn Val Ser Arg Phe Asn Glu Leu Asn Cys Glu Val 65 70 75 80 Leu Ala Cys Ser Met Asp Ser Glu Tyr Ala His Leu Gln Trp Thr Leu 85 90 95 Gln Asp Arg Lys Lys Gly Gly Leu Gly Ala Met Ala Ile Pro Met Leu 100 105 110 Ala Asp Lys Thr Lys Ser Ile Ala Arg Ser Tyr Gly Val Leu Glu Glu 115 120 125 Ser Gln Gly Val Ala Tyr Arg Gly Leu Phe Ile Ile Asp Pro Arg Gly 130 135 140 Met Val Arg Gln Ile Thr Val Asn Asp Met Pro Val Gly Arg Asn Val 145 150 155 160 Glu Glu Ala Leu Arg Leu Leu Glu Ala Leu Gln Phe Val Glu Lys His 165 170 175 Gly Glu Val Cys Pro Ala Asn Trp Lys Lys Gly Ala Pro Thr Met Lys 180 185 190 Pro Glu Pro Lys Ala Ser Val Glu Gly Tyr Phe Ser Lys Gln 195 200 205 27 51 DNA Artificial Sequence PCR primer 27 caattacata tgcatcacca tcaccatcac atgtcctgcg gtaacgccaa g 51 28 31 DNA Artificial Sequence PCR primer 28 catggaattc ttactgcttg ctgaagtatc c 31 29 520 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(520) n = A, T, C or G 29 ggcacgagcc cttgcctaca tttgctcgcc gatattcgcg gggagttctt caatttgcgt 60 cgcgtagaac tgctcaatgt cgcgcaacaa gcgcagctcg tcgtggcgca cgaaggtgat 120 ggccagtcca gtgcggccca tgcggccagt gcggccgatg cggtgaatgt actgctcacg 180 cgcgagcggc aaatcgtagc tgaggacgag cgagacgcgc tccacatcaa tgccacgcgc 240 ccacaggtcc gttgtaatga ncacgcggct gtgtccatta cggaatgccg cataatctcg 300 tcgcgctccg cctggggcat gtcgccgtgc atggcggaca cagcgaaatt ctcgcgcgtc 360 atcttcttgg caagctgctc cacctttttg cgggtgttgc anaaaaccac ngcgtgggcg 420 atcgttaagc tgtcgtacaa actccatcaa gaaatcgaat ttgtttttct cttcgtcnac 480 nganacaaan tactgtttaa cgctntccac ggtgatctca 520 30 600 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(600) n = A, T, C or G 30 ggcacaaggt tttcgggtta tcttcacgca tggtggagcg cagatgggtg aagtaaatac 60 gcggaccgaa ctgcttgatc atatcaacca gatcgttgtc agcacgcacg ccgtangaac 120 cggtgcacat ggtaaaaccg tntgccatgc tgtttacggt atcaaccatc cactgcatat 180 cttcaatggt ggaaacaatg cgcggcaggc cgaggatccg gcgcggctca tcatnnagnt 240 natnaaccan tcgcacgtct anttctgcac taaactacaa ntatcggtna catatnataa 300 ggccnatttt cggtccagga ntatgtnctn tcaaaatgcc ncgttannca ctcttaaatg 360 tctcangngn aaantngttc taaagggtgt ccaaaanntn nttaccnttc cccncttact 420 tcaananctc ctcnaattcc cnggcccttn gacnannatt tnctattaaa anatanaann 480 ttcaaattna ttcccnacct nccntnncca aanntancna ataatcannc ccctntcann 540 anntcccanc ttaccctccn ntngnngggn nnnccnattn ccccaanccc ncnctaaata 600 31 600 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(600) n = A, T, C or G 31 ggcacgagcc tcagtggagc tcaatgaaga tattgcagta tcttactctg gatggcactc 60 aggtctccgg cacgctgccg ccccagtgga gcgcgatggc atcggtgcga attcttaacc 120 tgnagggtac tgaggtctct ggtacgctgc cgcctgagtg gatatcnatg ancaggctgc 180 aaactctgaa tctgcggcgc acgaaantat ccggcactct gccgcccgaa tgganttcta 240 tgaacagcct ggagtacttt cacctttatc ttactcaggt ctccggcacg ctgccgcccg 300 agtggagtgg gatgtcnaag gccgcatact tctggctgga atactgcgac ctgtccggca 360 ntctgccgcc cnagtggtcg tcnatgccaa agctgcgcgg tatctcactg ancggcaaca 420 aattcttgcg ngtgtntncc ngactcntgg gattcagaaa ggtggtcctt gttgttgggc 480 atcnaaggan caaaccccaa ngggcccncn aattgcttgg gcntgcttaa gganttgcac 540 naaccaacnc cnccaaaaac cccccccacc ncnaaannac nancccccac ttaanncccn 600 32 600 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(600) n = A,T,C or G 32 ngcacgagaa gcgcaactgg cgcatcgcat ctgtgactat ctgcctgaac aggggcaatn 60 gtttgttggt aacagcctgg tggtacgtct gattgatncg cttncgcaan ttccggcagg 120 ttacccggtg tacancaacc gtggggccan cggtatcnac nggctgcttt cgaccgccgc 180 cggngttcan cgggcaancg gcaaaccgac gctggcgatt gtgggcgatc tctccgcact 240 ttacgatctc aacgcnctgg cgttattgcg tcaggtttct gcgccgctgg tattaattgt 300 ggtgaacaac aacggcnggg caaaattttc tcgctgttgc caacgccccc aaagcnagcg 360 tgaagcgttt ctatctgatg ccgcaaaacg tccattttga aacacgccgc cncccatgtt 420 tcganctgaa aatatcatcg tccgcaaaac tggcangaaa cttngaaaac cgcattttgc 480 cgacnccctg gcncacgccc aacccaccca ccggttgatt gaaaatggtg ggttaacgaa 540 nccnnatggg tgccccaaan cncnnccanc caaatttctg ggcccaggtt aaancccttt 600 33 600 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(600) n = A,T,C or G 33 acgatgacca tgccccgaag gaggatggcc atgcgccgaa gaacgatgac catgccccga 60 aggaggatgg ccatgcgccg aagaacgatg accatgcccc gaaggaggat ggccatgcgc 120 cgaagaacga cggggatgtg cagaanaaga gcgaagatgg agacaacgtg ggagagggag 180 gcaagggcaa tgaggatggt aacgatgatc agccgaagga gcacgctgcc ggcaactagt 240 gggctgcgtc cgggcttgtg tgcganccgt gctctgcacc ccgccgctcg tgcatcctcg 300 catgtggact gcgtgtgtct ctcccgcttt gtctctctcc cccacacagt ggctgatgcc 360 tgcacggggt tgctgtggct gcacctcctg accactgcca gctttcttgg cttgcctccc 420 ctctgcgcct ccgctcgtgc cgctcgtgcc gaattcgata tcaagcttat cgataccgtc 480 nacctcgaag gggggcccgg ttacccattc gccctatant gagtcntatt acaattcctg 540 gcgtcgtttt acacgtcgtg actgggaaaa accctggcgt tccccactta tcgccttgca 600 34 516 DNA Leishmania major 34 35 822 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(822) n = A,T,C or G 35 ggcacganag atcttcgtga agacgctgac cggcaanacg atcgcgctgg aggtggagcc 60 gagcgacacg atcgagaacg tgaaggccaa gatccaggac aaggagggca tcccgccgga 120 ccagcagcgc ctgatcttcg ccggcaagca gctggaggan ggccgcacgc tctcggacta 180 caacatccag aaggagtcca cgctgcacct ggtgctgcgc ctgcgcggcg gcatgcanat 240 cttcgtgaaa acgctnaccg gcaanacaat cgcgctggaa gtggagccga acgaccnatc 300 gaaaacgtga aggccnanat ccangacaag gaaggcntcc cgccgganca gcacgcctga 360 tcttccnccg gcaaccactt gangaagggc ncacgctctc ngactacnac atccanaaag 420 gattccnccc tgcaccttgt tgcttgcncc ttgctcgggg ggcatgccna atcttccttn 480 aaaacctcaa ccggcaanaa caatcccccn cngaagttgg aacccaacca ncccattcna 540 aaactttaaa ggccnnnatt ccngaacaan gaagggcttc ccccccggac cnncaancnc 600 cctgattntt cccccggnnn ncantttgga angaagggcc ccnccctccn ccgaattncn 660 acntcccnaa anggattccc cccctnccct tgntttttgc gccnnnnnnc ggcnncntnc 720 cnaaattccg nccnaaggnc cccantanan cnactttccc nttccccccc nnnnttttgc 780 ntaaantttt tncccccnna aanntcccnt ttncnanttn an 822 36 146 PRT Leishmania major VARIANT (1)...(146) Xaa = Any Amino Acid 36 Gly Thr Ser Pro Cys Leu His Leu Leu Ala Asp Ile Arg Gly Glu Phe 1 5 10 15 Phe Asn Leu Arg Arg Val Glu Leu Leu Asn Val Ala Gln Gln Ala Gln 20 25 30 Leu Val Val Ala His Glu Gly Asp Gly Gln Ser Ser Ala Ala His Ala 35 40 45 Ala Ser Ala Ala Asp Ala Val Asn Val Leu Leu Thr Arg Glu Arg Gln 50 55 60 Ile Val Ala Glu Asp Glu Arg Asp Ala Leu His Ile Asn Ala Thr Arg 65 70 75 80 Pro Gln Val Arg Cys Asn Xaa His Ala Ala Val Ser Ile Thr Glu Cys 85 90 95 Arg Ile Ile Ser Ser Arg Ser Ala Trp Gly Met Ser Pro Cys Met Ala 100 105 110 Asp Thr Ala Lys Phe Ser Arg Val Ile Phe Leu Ala Ser Cys Ser Thr 115 120 125 Phe Leu Arg Val Leu Xaa Lys Thr Thr Ala Trp Ala Ile Val Lys Leu 130 135 140 Ser Tyr 145 37 77 PRT Leishmania major VARIANT (1)...(77) Xaa = Any Amino Acid 37 Ala Gln Gly Phe Arg Val Ile Phe Thr His Gly Gly Ala Gln Met Gly 1 5 10 15 Glu Val Asn Thr Arg Thr Glu Leu Leu Asp His Ile Asn Gln Ile Val 20 25 30 Val Ser Thr His Ala Val Xaa Thr Gly Ala His Gly Lys Thr Val Cys 35 40 45 His Ala Val Tyr Gly Ile Asn His Pro Leu His Ile Phe Asn Gly Gly 50 55 60 Asn Asn Ala Arg Gln Ala Glu Asp Pro Ala Arg Leu Ile 65 70 75 38 68 PRT Leishmania major VARIANT (1)...(68) Xaa = Any Amino Acid 38 His Glu Pro Gln Trp Ser Ser Met Lys Ile Leu Gln Tyr Leu Thr Leu 1 5 10 15 Asp Gly Thr Gln Val Ser Gly Thr Leu Pro Pro Gln Trp Ser Ala Met 20 25 30 Ala Ser Val Arg Ile Leu Asn Leu Xaa Gly Thr Glu Val Ser Gly Thr 35 40 45 Leu Pro Pro Glu Trp Ile Ser Met Xaa Arg Leu Gln Thr Leu Asn Leu 50 55 60 Arg Arg Thr Lys 65 39 65 PRT Leishmania major VARIANT (1)...(65) Xaa = Any Amino Acid 39 Ala Arg Glu Ala Gln Leu Ala His Arg Ile Cys Asp Tyr Leu Pro Glu 1 5 10 15 Gln Gly Gln Xaa Phe Val Gly Asn Ser Leu Val Val Arg Leu Ile Asp 20 25 30 Xaa Leu Xaa Gln Xaa Pro Ala Gly Tyr Pro Val Tyr Xaa Asn Arg Gly 35 40 45 Ala Xaa Gly Ile Xaa Xaa Leu Leu Ser Thr Ala Ala Gly Val Xaa Arg 50 55 60 Ala 65 40 78 PRT Leishmania major VARIANT (1)...(78) Xaa = Any Amino Acid 40 Asp Asp His Ala Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Ala Pro Lys Asn Asp Asp 1 5 10 15 His Ala Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Ala Pro Lys Asn Asp Asp His Ala 20 25 30 Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Ala Pro Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Val Gln Xaa 35 40 45 Lys Ser Glu Asp Gly Asp Asn Val Gly Glu Gly Gly Lys Gly Asn Glu 50 55 60 Asp Gly Asn Asp Asp Gln Pro Lys Glu His Ala Ala Gly Asn 65 70 75 41 169 PRT Leishmania major 41 Leu Gln Gln Arg Leu Asp Thr Ala Thr Gln Gln Arg Ala Glu Leu Glu 1 5 10 15 Ala Arg Val Ala Arg Leu Ala Ala Asp Arg Asp Glu Ala Arg Gln Gln 20 25 30 Leu Ala Ala Asn Ala Glu Glu Leu Gln Gln Arg Leu Asp Thr Ala Thr 35 40 45 Gln Gln Arg Ala Glu Leu Glu Ala Arg Val Ala Arg Leu Ala Ala Asp 50 55 60 Gly Asp Glu Ala Arg Gln Gln Leu Ala Ala Asn Ala Glu Glu Leu Gln 65 70 75 80 Gln Arg Leu Asp Thr Ala Thr Gln Gln Arg Ala Glu Leu Glu Ala Gln 85 90 95 Val Ala Arg Leu Ala Ala Asn Ala Glu Glu Leu Gln Gln Arg Leu Asp 100 105 110 Thr Ala Thr Gln Gln Arg Ala Glu Leu Glu Ala Arg Val Ala Arg Leu 115 120 125 Ala Ala Asp Arg Asp Glu Ala Arg Gln Gln Leu Ala Ala Asn Ala Glu 130 135 140 Glu Leu Gln Gln Arg Leu Asp Thr Ala Thr Gln Gln Arg Ala Glu Leu 145 150 155 160 Glu Ala Gln Val Ala Arg Leu Ala Ala 165 42 98 PRT Leishmania major VARIANT (1)...(98) Xaa = Any Amino Acid 42 Ala Arg Xaa Ile Phe Val Lys Thr Leu Thr Gly Xaa Thr Ile Ala Leu 1 5 10 15 Glu Val Glu Pro Ser Asp Thr Ile Glu Asn Val Lys Ala Lys Ile Gln 20 25 30 Asp Lys Glu Gly Ile Pro Pro Asp Gln Gln Arg Leu Ile Phe Ala Gly 35 40 45 Lys Gln Leu Glu Xaa Gly Arg Thr Leu Ser Asp Tyr Asn Ile Gln Lys 50 55 60 Glu Ser Thr Leu His Leu Val Leu Arg Leu Arg Gly Gly Met Xaa Ile 65 70 75 80 Phe Val Lys Thr Leu Thr Gly Xaa Thr Ile Ala Leu Glu Val Glu Pro 85 90 95 Asn Asp 43 39 PRT Leishmania major 43 Leu Gln Gln Arg Leu Asp Thr Ala Thr Gln Gln Arg Ala Glu Leu Glu 1 5 10 15 Ala Arg Val Ala Arg Leu Ala Ala Asp Arg Asp Glu Ala Arg Gln Gln 20 25 30 Leu Ala Ala Asn Ala Glu Glu 35 44 600 DNA Leishmania chagasi misc_feature (1)...(600) n = A,T,C or G 44 cggccgcctc agcgaggagg agatcgagcg catggtgcgc gaggctgccg agttcgagga 60 tgaggaccgc aaggtgcgcg aacgtgtcga agcgaagaac tcgctagaga gcatcgcgta 120 ctcgcttcgc aaccagatca acgacaagga caagcttggt gacaagctcg ccgcggacga 180 caagaaggcg atcgaggagg ctgtgaagga tgccctcgac tttgtccacg agaaccccaa 240 tgcagaccgt gaggagttcg aggctgctcg cacgaagctg cagagtgtga cgaaccccat 300 cattcaaaag gtgtaccagg gcgccgccgg ctctggtgca gaagaggcgg acgcgatgga 360 tgacttgtta gtcggccgcg tgaaaagaaa aacagggaaa gcgggaacat nccacaanaa 420 ccnaagaaga aagggggtng cgacaccgct cgaacaccga cggcncacat ncntcatggg 480 catgctcagc tttcctctcc ccaacaaacc agaaggtttt ctccaaacnc cgtctcngcn 540 cccaaaatac ggaaangtta ancgaaaaan ccccttccac caattgnngt tcttttgttt 600 45 1748 DNA Leishmania chagasi 45 ctagtggatc ccccgggctg caggaattca cggaatacgt acctcctccc ccttcttggt 60 agaagaacaa caacaacgtt caagacgacg ccgcgccttc ttgtaccgca tttgcttctg 120 agcacgttca atccgtgcct tgcaaacatg gaggcgtaca agaagctgga aacgatcttt 180 acgaaggtct accgcctgga ccacttcctc ggtctgggca actgggacat gaacacaaac 240 atgcccccca agggcgagga atcacgcggt gaggcgatgg cgatgctctc ggagctccgc 300 tttggcttca tcacggcacc ggaggtgaaa agcctgattg agagtgccac caagggcagc 360 gaggagctga atgcggtgca gcgcgctaac ttgcgggaga tgaggcgtgc gtggaagagc 420 gccaccgcct tgccggctga gtttgtgggc cgcaagatgc gcctcacgac acacgcgcac 480 agcgtgtggc gcgacagccg caaagcaaat gacttcgcca agttcctacc ggtgctcagg 540 gacctggtgg cgctcgcccg tgaggagggc tcatacctcg ccgccggcac ctccctctcc 600 ccgtatgagg cgctcatgaa cgagtacgag ccaggaatca cgacacaaaa gctggatgag 660 gtgtacgcaa atgtaaagtc gtggctgccg cagctgctaa aggacattgt gcagaagcag 720 tccggcgagt cggtgattgc gttctcgcat aagttcccgc aggacaagca ggaagcactg 780 tgcaaggaat tcatgaagat ctggcacttc gacaccgatg ccggtcgcct cgacgtcagc 840 ccccaccctt tcacgggaat gacgaaggag gactgccgac tcacaacaaa ctacatcgaa 900 gacacgtttg ttcagagctt gtatggcgtc atccacgaga gtgggcatgg caagtacgag 960 cagaactgtg gcccacgcga gcacatcacg cagccggtgt gcaacgcccg ctctcttggc 1020 ctgcatgaga gccagagcct ctttgcggag tttcagatcg gccacgcgac gcccttcatc 1080 gactacctca caactcgcct tcctgagttc ttcgaggcgc agccagcgtt ctcgcaggac 1140 aacatgcgca agtcgctgca gcaggtgaag ccgggctaca ttcgcgtcga tgccgatgag 1200 gtgtgctacc ctctgcacgt gatcctgcgc tacgagatcg agcgcgactt gatggagggc 1260 aaaatggagg tggaagacgt gccgcgcgcg tggaacgcaa agatgcagga gtacttgggt 1320 ctctcaacgg agggccgtga cgacgttggg tgcctgcagg acgtgcattg gtccatggtg 1380 cgctcggcta ctctccgacg tactcgctcg gcgccatgta tgcggcgcag atcatggcga 1440 gcatccgaaa ggagctggga gacgacaagg tggatgagtg cctgcgcacc ggtgagctcg 1500 gccccctcct ggaaaagcag caggagaaga tctgggatca tgggtgcctg tacgagacgg 1560 acgacctcat gacgcgtgcg acgggcgaga cgctgaaccc cgagtacctg cgccgccacc 1620 tggaggcgcg ctacataaac gcctgagtcg cgagcggttg acacacgcgc tcgctagcac 1680 atgacgcgtc tttattattc tttgttgtgc attcggaatt ccgcggaatt cgatatcaag 1740 cttatcga 1748 46 560 DNA Leishmania chagasi misc_feature (1)...(560) n = A,T,C or G 46 cggaaggagg atggccatac acagaaaaat gacggcgatg gccctaagga ggacggccgt 60 acacagaaaa acgacgacgg tggccctaag gaggacggcc atacacagaa aaatgacggc 120 gatggcccta aggaggacgg ccgtacacag aaaaataacg gcgatggccc tnaggaggac 180 ggccatacac agaaaaatga cggcgatgcc cctnaggagg acggccgtac acanaaaaat 240 gacggcnatg gccctnagga ggacggccgt acacagaaaa atgacngcca tggcccttag 300 gangacgccg tacacagaaa aatgacgcna tggccctnag ggaggacggc catacccana 360 aaaattgacg gcnatngccc ttaggangac ggccgtnccc anaaanantg acngcggtng 420 cccttaagga agatgaaaat ctgccaccaa aacnattggg aatgcncagg aaaanaacna 480 anatngaccc cacgtggggg atgganctta cngcnattaa nattgttacc attatcnacc 540 naaggacnng ttgccgncaa 560 47 600 DNA Leishmania chagasi misc_feature (1)...(600) n = A,T,C or G 47 cgtccgagaa acccgtacat gtatgctgct ggtagaaggc gcagagctgg tccctctgat 60 gcacaagcat gaggtcgtac attgcctggt tcgtcatttt ccagagcaca acgagcagcg 120 tcatcataca gcatccaata gccgccagag tgaatgcgat gcgcacacca agtcgaaagt 180 ggtcgaccag taggggaatg tgaccctggc tggcgtgcaa catgatcgcc acgccagcgg 240 tgggccacac cacaacagag gcgacgaaag agaacatgaa cttgctcacg aagctnacaa 300 taagggcgtc gctngtgatg ctaagaacca cgccnaggta gacggcgaag ancaaactaa 360 acacaagcgt gacgatcccg aaaagaagga tctctgcgga attttcgtga gataganaat 420 gcccgtactg gaaaaanaag ccggcaggcg cgcgataacg ctgcaacttg ccgctcctcg 480 cgggcgcgtt ttcgctcctt ctccgacttg atggcgcngt cngncttgac aaaacggtta 540 agctcctcat gccccagccg attcccagct cacggtccac ttccggccat gcccacggac 600 48 1053 DNA Leishmania chagasi misc_feature (1)...(1053) n = A,T,C or G 48 gggaaaaaag tggagctcca ccgcggtggc ggccgctcta gaactagtgg atcccccggg 60 ctgcaggaat tccgcggaat tccgcggaat tccgcggaat tccgtccgac gcggcacccg 120 cacaggggtc gacagtgacg caacctcctc caccactgcg gcctacgacg gcgccggctc 180 cgcgccagtg atggttgacg ccaatgtgag ccaccctccg tacgcggggc atgaccaagt 240 gtacatgcac gtcggcaagc ccatcgtggg caacaccctc gacggataca acgggtgcgt 300 gttcgcctac gggcanacgg gcagcggcaa aaccttcacg atgctcggnt acgcgccgag 360 cacgancgac atccgcgctc gcaaagggtc cgtcccctgc ggggccagca gcatggagaa 420 cagcactcct cttgacagcg ctgtggagcc gtttgagagc gatgacggcg acgacgtggt 480 ggacaagacg gggctggatc cgaacgagct gcaaggcatc atcccgcgcg cgtgcacgga 540 cctgttcgat ggtctccgtg cgaagcgcgc caaggactcc gacttcacgt accgcgtgga 600 ggtgtcttac tacgagatct acaacgagaa ggtgttcgat ctcatccggc cgcagcgcaa 660 cacggacctg aggatacgta actcgcccaa ctccggtcca tttatcgaag gcctgacgtg 720 gaagatggtg tccaaggagg aagacgtcgc ccgcgtgatt cgcaagggca tgcaggagcg 780 ccacacggct gcgaccaagt tcaacgaccg cagcagccgc agccacgcca tcctcacctt 840 caacattgtg cagctgtcga tggacgactc cgacaacgcg ttccagatgc gcagcaagct 900 gaacctggtg gaccttgctg ggtcggagcg cactggtgcg gccggagccg agggcaatga 960 gttccacgac ggtgtgaaga tcaaccactc gctgacggtg ctggggcgcg tgatcgaccg 1020 tctggcggac ctctcgcaga acaagggagg ggg 1053 49 136 PRT Leishmania chagasi 49 Gly Arg Leu Ser Glu Glu Glu Ile Glu Arg Met Val Arg Glu Ala Ala 1 5 10 15 Glu Phe Glu Asp Glu Asp Arg Lys Val Arg Glu Arg Val Glu Ala Lys 20 25 30 Asn Ser Leu Glu Ser Ile Ala Tyr Ser Leu Arg Asn Gln Ile Asn Asp 35 40 45 Lys Asp Lys Leu Gly Asp Lys Leu Ala Ala Asp Asp Lys Lys Ala Ile 50 55 60 Glu Glu Ala Val Lys Asp Ala Leu Asp Phe Val His Glu Asn Pro Asn 65 70 75 80 Ala Asp Arg Glu Glu Phe Glu Ala Ala Arg Thr Lys Leu Gln Ser Val 85 90 95 Thr Asn Pro Ile Ile Gln Lys Val Tyr Gln Gly Ala Ala Gly Ser Gly 100 105 110 Ala Glu Glu Ala Asp Ala Met Asp Asp Leu Leu Val Gly Arg Val Lys 115 120 125 Arg Lys Thr Gly Lys Ala Gly Thr 130 135 50 510 PRT Leishmania chagasi 50 Tyr Leu Leu Pro Leu Leu Gly Arg Arg Thr Thr Thr Thr Phe Lys Thr 1 5 10 15 Thr Pro Arg Leu Leu Val Pro His Leu Leu Leu Ser Thr Phe Asn Pro 20 25 30 Cys Leu Ala Asn Met Glu Ala Tyr Lys Lys Leu Glu Thr Ile Phe Thr 35 40 45 Lys Val Tyr Arg Leu Asp His Phe Leu Gly Leu Gly Asn Trp Asp Met 50 55 60 Asn Thr Asn Met Pro Pro Lys Gly Glu Glu Ser Arg Gly Glu Ala Met 65 70 75 80 Ala Met Leu Ser Glu Leu Arg Phe Gly Phe Ile Thr Ala Pro Glu Val 85 90 95 Lys Ser Leu Ile Glu Ser Ala Thr Lys Gly Ser Glu Glu Leu Asn Ala 100 105 110 Val Gln Arg Ala Asn Leu Arg Glu Met Arg Arg Ala Trp Lys Ser Ala 115 120 125 Thr Ala Leu Pro Ala Glu Phe Val Gly Arg Lys Met Arg Leu Thr Thr 130 135 140 His Ala His Ser Val Trp Arg Asp Ser Arg Lys Ala Asn Asp Phe Ala 145 150 155 160 Lys Phe Leu Pro Val Leu Arg Asp Leu Val Ala Leu Ala Arg Glu Glu 165 170 175 Gly Ser Tyr Leu Ala Ala Gly Thr Ser Leu Ser Pro Tyr Glu Ala Leu 180 185 190 Met Asn Glu Tyr Glu Pro Gly Ile Thr Thr Gln Lys Leu Asp Glu Val 195 200 205 Tyr Ala Asn Val Lys Ser Trp Leu Pro Gln Leu Leu Lys Asp Ile Val 210 215 220 Gln Lys Gln Ser Gly Glu Ser Val Ile Ala Phe Ser His Lys Phe Pro 225 230 235 240 Gln Asp Lys Gln Glu Ala Leu Cys Lys Glu Phe Met Lys Ile Trp His 245 250 255 Phe Asp Thr Asp Ala Gly Arg Leu Asp Val Ser Pro His Pro Phe Thr 260 265 270 Gly Met Thr Lys Glu Asp Cys Arg Leu Thr Thr Asn Tyr Ile Glu Asp 275 280 285 Thr Phe Val Gln Ser Leu Tyr Gly Val Ile His Glu Ser Gly His Gly 290 295 300 Lys Tyr Glu Gln Asn Cys Gly Pro Arg Glu His Ile Thr Gln Pro Val 305 310 315 320 Cys Asn Ala Arg Ser Leu Gly Leu His Glu Ser Gln Ser Leu Phe Ala 325 330 335 Glu Phe Gln Ile Gly His Ala Thr Pro Phe Ile Asp Tyr Leu Thr Thr 340 345 350 Arg Leu Pro Glu Phe Phe Glu Ala Gln Pro Ala Phe Ser Gln Asp Asn 355 360 365 Met Arg Lys Ser Leu Gln Gln Val Lys Pro Gly Tyr Ile Arg Val Asp 370 375 380 Ala Asp Glu Val Cys Tyr Pro Leu His Val Ile Leu Arg Tyr Glu Ile 385 390 395 400 Glu Arg Asp Leu Met Glu Gly Lys Met Glu Val Glu Asp Val Pro Arg 405 410 415 Ala Trp Asn Ala Lys Met Gln Glu Tyr Leu Gly Leu Ser Thr Glu Gly 420 425 430 Arg Asp Asp Val Gly Cys Leu Gln Asp Val His Trp Ser Met Val Arg 435 440 445 Ser Ala Thr Leu Arg Arg Thr Arg Ser Ala Pro Cys Met Arg Arg Arg 450 455 460 Ser Trp Arg Ala Ser Glu Arg Ser Trp Glu Thr Thr Arg Trp Met Ser 465 470 475 480 Ala Cys Ala Pro Val Ser Ser Ala Pro Ser Trp Lys Ser Ser Arg Arg 485 490 495 Arg Ser Gly Ile Met Gly Ala Cys Thr Arg Arg Thr Thr Ser 500 505 510 51 107 PRT Leishmania chagasi VARIANT (1)...(107) Xaa = Any Amino Acid 51 Gly Arg Arg Met Ala Ile His Arg Lys Met Thr Ala Met Ala Leu Arg 1 5 10 15 Arg Thr Ala Val His Arg Lys Thr Thr Thr Val Ala Leu Arg Arg Thr 20 25 30 Ala Ile His Arg Lys Met Thr Ala Met Ala Leu Arg Arg Thr Ala Val 35 40 45 His Arg Lys Ile Thr Ala Met Ala Leu Arg Arg Thr Ala Ile His Arg 50 55 60 Lys Met Thr Ala Met Pro Leu Arg Arg Thr Ala Val His Xaa Lys Met 65 70 75 80 Thr Ala Met Ala Leu Arg Arg Thr Ala Val His Arg Lys Met Thr Ala 85 90 95 Met Ala Leu Arg Xaa Thr Pro Tyr Thr Glu Lys 100 105 52 63 PRT Leishmania chagasi 52 Val Arg Glu Thr Arg Thr Cys Met Leu Leu Val Glu Gly Ala Glu Leu 1 5 10 15 Val Pro Leu Met His Lys His Glu Val Val His Cys Leu Val Arg His 20 25 30 Phe Pro Glu His Asn Glu Gln Arg His His Thr Ala Ser Asn Ser Arg 35 40 45 Gln Ser Glu Cys Asp Ala His Thr Lys Ser Lys Val Val Asp Gln 50 55 60 53 324 PRT Leishmania chagasi VARIANT (1)...(324) Xaa = Any Amino Acid 53 Phe Arg Gly Ile Pro Arg Asn Ser Val Arg Arg Gly Thr Arg Thr Gly 1 5 10 15 Val Asp Ser Asp Ala Thr Ser Ser Thr Thr Ala Ala Tyr Asp Gly Ala 20 25 30 Gly Ser Ala Pro Val Met Val Asp Ala Asn Val Ser His Pro Pro Tyr 35 40 45 Ala Gly His Asp Gln Val Tyr Met His Val Gly Lys Pro Ile Val Gly 50 55 60 Asn Thr Leu Asp Gly Tyr Asn Gly Cys Val Phe Ala Tyr Gly Xaa Thr 65 70 75 80 Gly Ser Gly Lys Thr Phe Thr Met Leu Gly Tyr Ala Pro Ser Thr Xaa 85 90 95 Asp Ile Arg Ala Arg Lys Gly Ser Val Pro Cys Gly Ala Ser Ser Met 100 105 110 Glu Asn Ser Thr Pro Leu Asp Ser Ala Val Glu Pro Phe Glu Ser Asp 115 120 125 Asp Gly Asp Asp Val Val Asp Lys Thr Gly Leu Asp Pro Asn Glu Leu 130 135 140 Gln Gly Ile Ile Pro Arg Ala Cys Thr Asp Leu Phe Asp Gly Leu Arg 145 150 155 160 Ala Lys Arg Ala Lys Asp Ser Asp Phe Thr Tyr Arg Val Glu Val Ser 165 170 175 Tyr Tyr Glu Ile Tyr Asn Glu Lys Val Phe Asp Leu Ile Arg Pro Gln 180 185 190 Arg Asn Thr Asp Leu Arg Ile Arg Asn Ser Pro Asn Ser Gly Pro Phe 195 200 205 Ile Glu Gly Leu Thr Trp Lys Met Val Ser Lys Glu Glu Asp Val Ala 210 215 220 Arg Val Ile Arg Lys Gly Met Gln Glu Arg His Thr Ala Ala Thr Lys 225 230 235 240 Phe Asn Asp Arg Ser Ser Arg Ser His Ala Ile Leu Thr Phe Asn Ile 245 250 255 Val Gln Leu Ser Met Asp Asp Ser Asp Asn Ala Phe Gln Met Arg Ser 260 265 270 Lys Leu Asn Leu Val Asp Leu Ala Gly Ser Glu Arg Thr Gly Ala Ala 275 280 285 Gly Ala Glu Gly Asn Glu Phe His Asp Gly Val Lys Ile Asn His Ser 290 295 300 Leu Thr Val Leu Gly Arg Val Ile Asp Arg Leu Ala Asp Leu Ser Gln 305 310 315 320 Asn Lys Gly Gly 54 1585 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(1585) n = A,T,C or G 54 aaagctggag ctccaccgcg gtggcggccg ctctagaact agtggatccc ccgggctgca 60 ggaattcggc acgagtgctg cccgacatga catgctcgct gaccggactt cagtgcacag 120 acccgaactg caagacctgc acaacttacg gtcagtgcac agactgcaac gacggctacg 180 gtctcacctc ctccagcgtt tgcgtgcgct gcagtgtagc gggctgcaag agctgccccg 240 tcgacgctaa cgtctgcaaa gtgtgtctcg gcggcagcga gccgatcaac aatatgtgcc 300 cctgcaccga ccccaactgc gccagctgcc ccagcgacgc tggcacgtgc actcagtgcg 360 cgaacggcta cggtctcgtg gacggcgcct gtgtgagatg ccaggagccc aactgcttca 420 gctgcgacag cgacgcgaat aagtgcacac aatgtgcgcc gaactactac ctcaccccgc 480 tcttgacctg ctccccggtg gcctgcaaca tcgagcactg catgcagtgc gacccacaga 540 cgccgtcgcg ctgccaggag tgcgtgtccc cctacgtggt tgacagctac gacggcctct 600 gcaggctctc cgatgcctgc tccgtgccca actgcaagaa gtgcgagacc ggtacctcca 660 ggctctgcgc cgagtgcgac accggctaca gtctctccgc cgacgcgacg agctgcagca 720 gtccaaccac gcagccgtgc gaggtggagc actgcaacac atgtgtgaac ggcgatagca 780 cccgctgtgc ctactgcaac accggctact acgtctccga tggcaagtgc aaggccatgc 840 agggctgcta cgtgtcgaac tgcgcgcagt gcatgctgct tgacagcacc aagtgctcca 900 cgtgcgtgaa agggtacctg ctcacgtcgt cctacagttg cgtctcgcag aaagtcatca 960 acagtgcggc cgcgccctac tctctgtggg tggccgccgc cgtgctcctc acctcttttg 1020 ccatgcacct agcatagtgc gcagcggcat gcgaacaacc ccactctcat tctccaacat 1080 gtgcatacac acacacacag acagcggggc agcaccccct ccccacacac acacacgcac 1140 ttcccccttg tcttgttctt ctttcctcgn ttcgcatttc tttctctcgt gcgctggcgc 1200 cggcctcctg cacgtcgctc ccctccccct aacctctatt ctctctctct ctctctctcg 1260 ccggcatcat tgcttcttac ccttttctga tccttgctcg cgtgggcgga cactgccaca 1320 gtcccacagc gcagacacac gtgtttaaac ggcgcaggca tccctcccta tcacttcatt 1380 tctcctaaag ccactcacca agtcgcacac cgccctcccc catcggccgc ccttccgggc 1440 gcagctgtgc ggaatgggtg tgtgctcgac ctcgttcctg gcagctcact cgcatgtgta 1500 cagccactcc aaccacgaaa gctctcttct gcgcacataa aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa 1560 ctcgaggggg ggcccggtac ccaaa 1585 55 320 PRT Leishmania major 55 Val Leu Pro Asp Met Thr Cys Ser Leu Thr Gly Leu Gln Cys Thr Asp 1 5 10 15 Pro Asn Cys Lys Thr Cys Thr Thr Tyr Gly Gln Cys Thr Asp Cys Asn 20 25 30 Asp Gly Tyr Gly Leu Thr Ser Ser Ser Val Cys Val Arg Cys Ser Val 35 40 45 Ala Gly Cys Lys Ser Cys Pro Val Asp Ala Asn Val Cys Lys Val Cys 50 55 60 Leu Gly Gly Ser Glu Pro Ile Asn Asn Met Cys Pro Cys Thr Asp Pro 65 70 75 80 Asn Cys Ala Ser Cys Pro Ser Asp Ala Gly Thr Cys Thr Gln Cys Ala 85 90 95 Asn Gly Tyr Gly Leu Val Asp Gly Ala Cys Val Arg Cys Gln Glu Pro 100 105 110 Asn Cys Phe Ser Cys Asp Ser Asp Ala Asn Lys Cys Thr Gln Cys Ala 115 120 125 Pro Asn Tyr Tyr Leu Thr Pro Leu Leu Thr Cys Ser Pro Val Ala Cys 130 135 140 Asn Ile Glu His Cys Met Gln Cys Asp Pro Gln Thr Pro Ser Arg Cys 145 150 155 160 Gln Glu Cys Val Ser Pro Tyr Val Val Asp Ser Tyr Asp Gly Leu Cys 165 170 175 Arg Leu Ser Asp Ala Cys Ser Val Pro Asn Cys Lys Lys Cys Glu Thr 180 185 190 Gly Thr Ser Arg Leu Cys Ala Glu Cys Asp Thr Gly Tyr Ser Leu Ser 195 200 205 Ala Asp Ala Thr Ser Cys Ser Ser Pro Thr Thr Gln Pro Cys Glu Val 210 215 220 Glu His Cys Asn Thr Cys Val Asn Gly Asp Ser Thr Arg Cys Ala Tyr 225 230 235 240 Cys Asn Thr Gly Tyr Tyr Val Ser Asp Gly Lys Cys Lys Ala Met Gln 245 250 255 Gly Cys Tyr Val Ser Asn Cys Ala Gln Cys Met Leu Leu Asp Ser Thr 260 265 270 Lys Cys Ser Thr Cys Val Lys Gly Tyr Leu Leu Thr Ser Ser Tyr Ser 275 280 285 Cys Val Ser Gln Lys Val Ile Asn Ser Ala Ala Ala Pro Tyr Ser Leu 290 295 300 Trp Val Ala Ala Ala Val Leu Leu Thr Ser Phe Ala Met His Leu Ala 305 310 315 320 56 14 PRT Leishmania major 56 Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Ala Pro Lys Asn Asp Asp His Ala 1 5 10 57 7 PRT Leishmania major 57 Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Ala 1 5 58 7 PRT Leishmania major 58 Pro Lys Asn Asp Asp His Ala 1 5 59 264 DNA Leishmania chagasi 59 atgcaccatc atcaccatca catgggaagc tcctgcacga aggactccgc aaaggagccc 60 cagaagcgtg ctgataacat cgatacgacc actcgaagcg atgagaagga cggcatccat 120 gtccaggaga gcgccggtcc tgtgcaggag aacttcgggg atgcgcagga gaagaacgaa 180 gatggacaca acgtggggga tggagctaac gacaatgagg atggtaacga tgatcagccg 240 aaggagcagg ttgccggcaa ctag 264 60 744 DNA Leishmania chagasi 60 atgggagcct actgcacgaa ggactccgca aaggagcccc agaagcgtgc tgataacatc 60 cataaaacca ctgaggccaa tcacagaggc gccgccggtg tgcccccgaa gcacgccggc 120 ggtgcgatga acgactctgc cccgaaggag gatggccata cacagaaaaa tgacggcgat 180 ggccctaagg aggacggccg tacacagaaa aacgacgacg gtggccctaa ggaggacggc 240 catacacaga aaaatgacgg cgatggccct aaggaggacg gccgtacaca gaaaaataac 300 ggcgatggcc ctaaggagga cggccataca cagaaaaatg acggcgatgc ccctaaggag 360 gacggccgta cacagaaaaa tgacggcgat ggccctaagg aggacggccg tacacagaaa 420 aatgacggcg atggccctaa ggaggacggc cgtacacaga aaaatgacgg cgatggccct 480 aaggaggacg gccgtacaca gaaaaatgac ggcgatggcc ctaaggagga cggccataca 540 cagaaaaatg acggcgatgg ccctaaggag gacggccgta cacagaaaaa tgacggcggt 600 ggccctaagg aggatgagaa tctgcagcaa aacgatggga atgcgcagga gaagaacgaa 660 gatggacaca acgtggggga tggagctaac ggcaatgagg atggtaacga tgatcagccg 720 aaggagcagg ttgccggcaa ctag 744 61 80 PRT Leishmania chagasi 61 Met Gly Ser Ser Cys Thr Lys Asp Ser Ala Lys Glu Pro Gln Lys Arg 1 5 10 15 Ala Asp Asn Ile Asp Thr Thr Thr Arg Ser Asp Glu Lys Asp Gly Ile 20 25 30 His Val Gln Glu Ser Ala Gly Pro Val Gln Glu Asn Phe Gly Asp Ala 35 40 45 Gln Glu Lys Asn Glu Asp Gly His Asn Val Gly Asp Gly Ala Asn Asp 50 55 60 Asn Glu Asp Gly Asn Asp Asp Gln Pro Lys Glu Gln Val Ala Gly Asn 65 70 75 80 62 247 PRT Leishmania chagasi 62 Met Gly Ala Tyr Cys Thr Lys Asp Ser Ala Lys Glu Pro Gln Lys Arg 1 5 10 15 Ala Asp Asn Ile His Lys Thr Thr Glu Ala Asn His Arg Gly Ala Ala 20 25 30 Gly Val Pro Pro Lys His Ala Gly Gly Ala Met Asn Asp Ser Ala Pro 35 40 45 Lys Glu Asp Gly His Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Gly Pro Lys Glu 50 55 60 Asp Gly Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Asp Gly Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly 65 70 75 80 His Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly Arg Thr 85 90 95 Gln Lys Asn Asn Gly Asp Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Thr Gln Lys 100 105 110 Asn Asp Gly Asp Ala Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp 115 120 125 Gly Asp Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp 130 135 140 Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Gly Pro 145 150 155 160 Lys Glu Asp Gly Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Gly Pro Lys Glu 165 170 175 Asp Gly His Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly 180 185 190 Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Gly Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Glu Asn Leu 195 200 205 Gln Gln Asn Asp Gly Asn Ala Gln Glu Lys Asn Glu Asp Gly His Asn 210 215 220 Val Gly Asp Gly Ala Asn Gly Asn Glu Asp Gly Asn Asp Asp Gln Pro 225 230 235 240 Lys Glu Gln Val Ala Gly Asn 245 63 14 PRT Leishmania chagasi VARIANT (6)...(6) Xaa = His or Arg 63 Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly Xaa Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Xaa Xaa Gly 1 5 10 64 7 PRT Leishmania chagasi VARIANT (6)...(6) Xaa = His or Arg 64 Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly Xaa Thr 1 5 65 7 PRT Leishmania chagasi VARIANT (5)...(5) Xaa = Gly or Asp 65 Gln Lys Asn Asp Xaa Xaa Gly 1 5 66 17 PRT Artificial Sequence Synthetic peptide to asses diagnostic potential of repeat in Lc Gene B 66 Gly Cys Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp 1 5 10 15 Gly 67 31 PRT Artificial Sequence Synthetic peptide to asses diagnostic potential of repeat in Lc Gene B 67 Gly Cys Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp 1 5 10 15 Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Gly 20 25 30 68 45 PRT Artificial Sequence Synthetic peptide to asses diagnostic potential of repeat in Lc Gene B 68 Gly Cys Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp 1 5 10 15 Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Gly Pro 20 25 30 Lys Glu Asp Gly Arg Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Gly 35 40 45 69 17 PRT Artificial Sequence Synthetic peptide to asses diagnostic potential of repeat in Lc Gene B 69 Gly Cys Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp 1 5 10 15 Gly 70 31 PRT Artificial Sequence Synthetic peptide to asses diagnostic potential of repeat in Lc Gene B 70 Gly Cys Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp 1 5 10 15 Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Gly 20 25 30 71 45 PRT Gly Cys Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Thr Gln Synthetic peptide to asses diagnostic potential of repeat in Lc Gene B 71 Gly Cys Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp 1 5 10 15 Gly Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly His Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Gly Pro 20 25 30 Lys Glu Asp Gly His Thr Gln Lys Asn Asp Gly Asp Gly 35 40 45 72 664 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(664) n = A,T,C or G 72 gctgcaggaa ttcggcacga gattgcttcc cagcccacct tcgctatcca gccactctcg 60 ctcttctaca tctcccaccc cctcacaccg ccatggcttc ttcccgcaag gcttccaacc 120 cgcacaagtc gcaccgcaag ccgaagcgct cgtggaacgt gtacgtgggc cgctcgctga 180 aggcgatcaa cgcccagatg tcgatgtcgc accgcacgat gaagatcgtg aactcgtacg 240 tgaacgacgt gatggagcgc atctgcactg aggccgcgtc gattgttcgc gcgaacaaga 300 agcgcacgtt gggtgcgcgc gaggtgcaga cggcggtgcg cattgtgctg ccggcggagc 360 tcgcgaagca tgccatggct gagggcacga aggccgtgtc gagcgcgtcc cgctaaagcg 420 gcttgccgga tgccgtgtga gtaggagggt ggcttgccgc aaacgctgac ctcggcgatt 480 gcggcgtggc gctccccttc tcctccttgt ccggcggtgt gtgtcatgca tttgcgtgac 540 tcctccctct tatagatgca agcttttttt ttctcttgac gttttatttt ctcctccccc 600 tcccttaacg tgaagtgtat atganagcgt actggacatg ananaaaaaa aaaanaaact 660 cgag 664 73 1432 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(1432) n = A,T,C or G 73 gatgaagaag aggaggacac caccatcaac aactccgacg tggtggtgcg ctacaagaag 60 gccgcaacgt ggtgcaatga aacgttgcgc gtgcttatcg atgccacaaa acctggcgcc 120 aaggtgtgcg acctgtgccg cctcggtgat gacaccatca ccgccnaggt caagacaatg 180 ttcaaaggca cggaaaaagg catcgctttc ccgacctgca tctcggtcaa caactgcgta 240 tgccacaaca gccctggcgt gtcggacgag acgacgcagc aagagatcgc gatgggtgac 300 gtcgtgcact acgacctggg catccacgtg gacggctact gcgccgtcgt cgcgcacacc 360 attcaggtga cagaggacaa tgagcttggc aaggacgaga aggcggcgcg cgtcattaca 420 gcggcgtaca acatcctgaa cacggcgctg cgccagatgc gtcccggtac gaccatctac 480 caggtgacag acgtagttga gaaggctgcg gagcactaca aggtgactcc ggtagacggc 540 gtcctctcgc atatgatgaa gcgctacatc atagacngat accgctgtat cccgcagcgc 600 agggtcgcgg agcacatggt gcacgactac gatctcgaga aagcgcaggt gtggacgcta 660 gacattgtca tgacctccgg caagggcaag ctgaaggagc gcgatgcgcg gccgtgcgtg 720 ttcaaggtgg ctctggactc caactactct gtgaaaatgg aaagcgcgaa ggaggttcag 780 aaggaaatcg actccnagta tgccaccttc ccctttgcca tccgcaacct ggaggccaag 840 aaggcccgcc tcggtctcaa cgagatggcg aagcacggtg ctgtcatccc gtaccctatt 900 ctcttcgaaa aggaaggcga ggtcgtcgcc catttcaaga ttacggtgct catcagcaac 960 aagaagattg agccgattac cggcctgaag ccgcagaagg ccccggcgct cgagccatac 1020 acggacgaga tgctgcttgc gacgaacaag ctcttcgctg tcgctagaga agaaggcggc 1080 gaagtagacg gccgtggcat ccgtgacgct gtactgcgag ctttcgtagg cgtacgcctc 1140 ttgtgaggcg tacacgtgtg ctgtttgcgg acgaggaggc acccattctg ttccccttct 1200 tcgctaatct tcgcgtttcc tctgacgctg gcttctytgc cggagtgtgg tgaggcgcgt 1260 gggggagaaa cggcccacty gcatgcctgt gcatacgcga gcacggtagg gagcgcggtg 1320 tgtgtgtgtg tgggggggcg tgttacgagt acaaaagagg ctcgatcttt gcgatctttt 1380 ctttctgtaa acaggaacat aagtaaccaa aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaactcg ag 1432 74 873 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(873) n = A,T,C or G 74 ctttattgtc atcactgtaa agcactgttt tttctttcac tttttcttga gtgttttctt 60 ctattcacca tgagcattat caaggaggac gacgccgtgg gctgctacat gacggtgacc 120 ctcgtggacg acaccaaggt ggagggtacc atcttcacct acaattccaa ggagggcatc 180 atagtactcc tgtccctccg cgacgatcag acgaacatga agctaatccg cactccgtac 240 atcaaagact tcagcctttc acacgctgag gagggagcgc acctgccccc ggcactggac 300 tccttcaacg agcttccgtc catgcacgcc ggccgcgaca agtccatctt caagcacgcc 360 agcacgcagc tcaagaacgc cgaggcgaac cgcgaaaagc acttcaactc tgtcacgacc 420 gacacaccga ttgccacact tgatgcgtac ctcaagctcc tgcggctata ccccttaatt 480 gagtggaaca gcgacgaggg tgtcatccag gtctcggaca ccgtcattgt cgtaggagac 540 cccgactggc ggacgcccaa ggcaatgctg gtggacggcg cccctgagaa ggacagaccg 600 cttgtagatc gcctgcaggt tgcgctcggm aacggcaaga agtgattcag tgtgtagcgg 660 acagaacatc gtgtgcttgt gtgtctgttt gangtttgtt tgttttctct ttgtggtact 720 gcgtacgacg gcgccttctc ccggtggtgg gtgagtccat aagcagttga gttctyggtt 780 gtagnaavgc ctyacygccg accatatggg agagggcgaa caaatntttg atagaagttg 840 aaaatcccaa agtyaaaaga aaaaaaaaan aaa 873 75 1238 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(1238) n = A,T,C or G 75 tttctgtact ttattgaaca tcagtagaac acgttcttcc cgcaaagatg gccaagaagc 60 acctcaagcg cttgtatgcg cccaaggact ggatgctgag caagctgacc ggcgtgttcg 120 cgccgcgtcc gcgtccgggt ccgcacaagc tgcgcgagtg cctgccgctn ctggtgatca 180 tccgcaaccg gctgaagtac gcgctgaacg cgcgcgaggg tgagatgatc ctgcgccagg 240 gtctggtgca cgtggacaac cacccgcgcc gcgacggcaa gtatcccgcc ggtttcatgg 300 acgtggtcga gatcccgaag acgggcgacc gcttccgcct gatgtacgac gtcaagggcc 360 gcttcgcgtt ggtgaacctg tccgaggcgg aggcgcagat caagctgatg aaggttgtga 420 acctgtacac ggccaccggc cgcgtgccgg tcgctgtgac gcacgacggc caccgcatcc 480 gctacccgga cccgcacacc tccattggtg acaccatcgt gtacaacgtc aaggagaaga 540 agtgcgtgga cctgatcaag aaccgccagg gcaaggccgt gatcgtgacc ggtggcgcca 600 accgcggccg catcggcgag atcgtgaagg tggagtgcca ccccggtgcg ttcaacattg 660 cgcacctgaa ggacgcgtcc ggcgccgagt tcgccacccg cgccgcgaac atcttcgtga 720 tcggcaagga cctgaacaac ctgcaggtaa cggtgccgaa gcagcagggc ctgcgcatga 780 acgtgatcca ggagcgcgag gagcgcctga tcgcggcgga ggcccgcaag aacgcgccgg 840 ctcgtggtgc ccgcagggcc cgcaagtgag gaggcgatta cacgcatgcg tgtttgtggc 900 tctgaagcga cttggcgggt cggctgtgag ggtttgagag gaggtgtgtg atgcgtgtga 960 agtccttctc cgttctcagc tctctctgtg ctgtagctgt gcctttcccc agatcgcttt 1020 accgcatttg catacatctg tgtagtcgca tgtgcgtgtt tctgtctctc ggtgggtctc 1080 cctctccctc cctttctgcc tctctctttg agtgggtgtg catgcgtcgc gcgcgacggg 1140 ctccgcttna gtgattctct cgtgttttan ggctgtttty tttctyagtt nagcgtttty 1200 gttcatgatt tcctcagacc caaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa 1238 76 712 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(712) n = A,T,C or G 76 ctgacggagt tccagacgaa ccttgtgccg tacccgcgca tccacttcgt gctgacaagc 60 tacgctccgg tggtgtctgc cgagaaggcg taccacgagc agctntccgt cgcggacatc 120 acgaactcgg tntttgagcc tgctggcatg ctnacaaagt gcgatcctcg ccacggcaag 180 tacatgtcgt gctgcctcat gtaccgcggt gatgtcgtgc cgaaggatgt caacgccgcg 240 attgcgacga tcaagacgaa gcgcacaatt cagttcgtgg actggtgccc gaccggcttc 300 aagtgcggca tcaactacca gccgccgacc gttgtgcccg gcggtgacct cgcgaaggtg 360 cagcgcgccg tgtgcatgat tgccaactcg accgcgatcg ctgaggtgtt tgcccgcatc 420 gaccacaagt tcgacctgat gtacagcaag cgcgcgtttg tgcactggta cgtgggtgag 480 ggcatggagg agggcgagtt ctccgaggcg cgcgaggatc tcgctgcgct ggagaaggac 540 tacgaggagg ttggcgccga gtccgccgac gacatgggcg aggaggacgt cgaggagtac 600 taaggtagac tcgtgccgcg cgctgatgat gtaggtgcac gcgtgcgtgt gctgcagcgg 660 agccgccgcc accgcgactg tgtgtgtgtg cgcgcgtgac gaccggctcg ag 712 77 1086 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(1086) n = A,T,C or G 77 caagaagtgg atcaagcagg agacgaacgc cgatggcgag cgcgtgcgcc gcgcgttctg 60 ccagttctgc ctagacccca tctaccagat cttcgacgct gtgatgaacg agaagaagga 120 caaggtggac aagatgctca agtcgctgca cgtgacgctn acggctgagg agcgcgagca 180 ggtgccgaan aagcttctga agacggtgat gatgaanttc ctgccggctg ctgagacgct 240 gctacagatg atcgtggcgc acctgccgtc gcccaagaag gcgcaggcgt accgtgcgga 300 gatgctgtac tctggcgagg cgtcgccgga ggacaagtac ttcatgggta tcaagaactg 360 cgaccccgct gcgccgctca tgctgtacat cagcaagatg gtgccgacgg ccgaccgcgg 420 ccgcttcttc gcctttggcc gcatcttctc cggtaaggtg cgcagcggcc agaaggtgcg 480 catcatgggt aacaactacg tctacggcaa gaagcaggac ctgtacgagg acaagcctgt 540 gcagcgctcc gtgctgatga tgggccgcta ccaggaggcc gtggaggaca tgccgtgcgg 600 taacgtggtg ggccttgtgg gcgtggacaa gtacatcgtg aagtccgcga cgatcacgga 660 cgatggcgag agcccgcacc cgctgcgcga catgaagtac tctgtgtcgc ccgtcgtgcg 720 tgtggccgtg gaggcgaaga acccgtccga cctgccgaag cttgtggagg gcctgaagcg 780 ccttgccaag tccgacccgc tggtggtgtg cagcattgag gagtctggcg agcacattgt 840 tgccggcgct ggcgagcttc accttgagat ttgcctgaag gatctccagg aggacttcat 900 gaacggcgcg ccgctnaaga tctccgagcc ggtggtgtcg ttccgcgaga cggtgacgga 960 tgtgtcgtcg cagcagtgcc tgtcgaagtc tgcgaacaag cacaaccgtc tcttctgccg 1020 cggtgcgccg ctnacagagg anctggcgct ggcgatngan gaaggcaccg ctggtcccga 1080 ngcgga 1086 78 447 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(447) n = A,T,C or G 78 cgcatcaacg tctacttcga tnagtcgacg ggaggccgct acgtgccgcg cgccgtgctg 60 atggacctcg agcccggcac tatggactcc gttcgcgccg gcccgtacgg ccagctgttc 120 cgcccggaca acttcatctt tggtcagtcc ggcgctggca acaactgggc caagggccac 180 tacactgagg gcgcggagct gatcgactcc gtgcttgatg tgtgccgcaa ggaggcggag 240 agctgcgact gcctgcaggg cttccagctg tctcactccc tcggcggcgg cacgggctcc 300 ggcatgggca cgctgctcat ttccaanctg cgcgangagt acccggaccg gatcatgatg 360 accttctccg tcatcccgtc cccccgcgtg tcggataccg ttgtggancc gtacaacacg 420 accctctctg tgcaccagct cgtggaa 447 79 375 DNA Leishmania major misc_feature (1)...(375) n = A,T,C or G 79 gtaacccgct ggtgtacgca tatgtagaca cagacgggca gcacgagacg acgttcctcg 60 cgatccctgt ggtgcttggc atgaatggaa tcgagaagcg cctgccgatt ggtccgctgc 120 actcgacgga ggaaacgctg ctgaaggcgg cactgccggt gatcaagaag aatatcgtga 180 agggcagcga gttcgcgcgc tcacacctgt agcacctcag cttttttttt ttgcgttaaa 240 cgggcgtggg aagcacctcg atacttcgct tcgcgctgac ggacccgcac gacatcgttc 300 gtcatccccc tccccctctt cggccctata cgcatgaagg agtggaatta tgcaacagca 360 tgttnatatc aagtg 375 80 107 PRT Leishmania major 80 Met Ala Ser Ser Arg Lys Ala Ser Asn Pro His Lys Ser His Arg Lys 1 5 10 15 Pro Lys Arg Ser Trp Asn Val Tyr Val Gly Arg Ser Leu Lys Ala Ile 20 25 30 Asn Ala Gln Met Ser Met Ser His Arg Thr Met Lys Ile Val Asn Ser 35 40 45 Tyr Val Asn Asp Val Met Glu Arg Ile Cys Thr Glu Ala Ala Ser Ile 50 55 60 Val Arg Ala Asn Lys Lys Arg Thr Leu Gly Ala Arg Glu Val Gln Thr 65 70 75 80 Ala Val Arg Ile Val Leu Pro Ala Glu Leu Ala Lys His Ala Met Ala 85 90 95 Glu Gly Thr Lys Ala Val Ser Ser Ala Ser Arg 100 105 81 381 PRT Leishmania major VARIANT (1)...(381) Xaa = Any Amino Acid 81 Asp Glu Glu Glu Glu Asp Thr Thr Ile Asn Asn Ser Asp Val Val Val 1 5 10 15 Arg Tyr Lys Lys Ala Ala Thr Trp Cys Asn Glu Thr Leu Arg Val Leu 20 25 30 Ile Asp Ala Thr Lys Pro Gly Ala Lys Val Cys Asp Leu Cys Arg Leu 35 40 45 Gly Asp Asp Thr Ile Thr Ala Xaa Val Lys Thr Met Phe Lys Gly Thr 50 55 60 Glu Lys Gly Ile Ala Phe Pro Thr Cys Ile Ser Val Asn Asn Cys Val 65 70 75 80 Cys His Asn Ser Pro Gly Val Ser Asp Glu Thr Thr Gln Gln Glu Ile 85 90 95 Ala Met Gly Asp Val Val His Tyr Asp Leu Gly Ile His Val Asp Gly 100 105 110 Tyr Cys Ala Val Val Ala His Thr Ile Gln Val Thr Glu Asp Asn Glu 115 120 125 Leu Gly Lys Asp Glu Lys Ala Ala Arg Val Ile Thr Ala Ala Tyr Asn 130 135 140 Ile Leu Asn Thr Ala Leu Arg Gln Met Arg Pro Gly Thr Thr Ile Tyr 145 150 155 160 Gln Val Thr Asp Val Val Glu Lys Ala Ala Glu His Tyr Lys Val Thr 165 170 175 Pro Val Asp Gly Val Leu Ser His Met Met Lys Arg Tyr Ile Ile Asp 180 185 190 Xaa Tyr Arg Cys Ile Pro Gln Arg Arg Val Ala Glu His Met Val His 195 200 205 Asp Tyr Asp Leu Glu Lys Ala Gln Val Trp Thr Leu Asp Ile Val Met 210 215 220 Thr Ser Gly Lys Gly Lys Leu Lys Glu Arg Asp Ala Arg Pro Cys Val 225 230 235 240 Phe Lys Val Ala Leu Asp Ser Asn Tyr Ser Val Lys Met Glu Ser Ala 245 250 255 Lys Glu Val Gln Lys Glu Ile Asp Ser Xaa Tyr Ala Thr Phe Pro Phe 260 265 270 Ala Ile Arg Asn Leu Glu Ala Lys Lys Ala Arg Leu Gly Leu Asn Glu 275 280 285 Met Ala Lys His Gly Ala Val Ile Pro Tyr Pro Ile Leu Phe Glu Lys 290 295 300 Glu Gly Glu Val Val Ala His Phe Lys Ile Thr Val Leu Ile Ser Asn 305 310 315 320 Lys Lys Ile Glu Pro Ile Thr Gly Leu Lys Pro Gln Lys Ala Pro Ala 325 330 335 Leu Glu Pro Tyr Thr Asp Glu Met Leu Leu Ala Thr Asn Lys Leu Phe 340 345 350 Ala Val Ala Arg Glu Glu Gly Gly Glu Val Asp Gly Arg Gly Ile Arg 355 360 365 Asp Ala Val Leu Arg Ala Phe Val Gly Val Arg Leu Leu 370 375 380 82 191 PRT Leishmania major 82 Met Ser Ile Ile Lys Glu Asp Asp Ala Val Gly Cys Tyr Met Thr Val 1 5 10 15 Thr Leu Val Asp Asp Thr Lys Val Glu Gly Thr Ile Phe Thr Tyr Asn 20 25 30 Ser Lys Glu Gly Ile Ile Val Leu Leu Ser Leu Arg Asp Asp Gln Thr 35 40 45 Asn Met Lys Leu Ile Arg Thr Pro Tyr Ile Lys Asp Phe Ser Leu Ser 50 55 60 His Ala Glu Glu Gly Ala His Leu Pro Pro Ala Leu Asp Ser Phe Asn 65 70 75 80 Glu Leu Pro Ser Met His Ala Gly Arg Asp Lys Ser Ile Phe Lys His 85 90 95 Ala Ser Thr Gln Leu Lys Asn Ala Glu Ala Asn Arg Glu Lys His Phe 100 105 110 Asn Ser Val Thr Thr Asp Thr Pro Ile Ala Thr Leu Asp Ala Tyr Leu 115 120 125 Lys Leu Leu Arg Leu Tyr Pro Leu Ile Glu Trp Asn Ser Asp Glu Gly 130 135 140 Val Ile Gln Val Ser Asp Thr Val Ile Val Val Gly Asp Pro Asp Trp 145 150 155 160 Arg Thr Pro Lys Ala Met Leu Val Asp Gly Ala Pro Glu Lys Asp Arg 165 170 175 Pro Leu Val Asp Arg Leu Gln Val Ala Leu Gly Asn Gly Lys Lys 180 185 190 83 273 PRT Leishmania major 83 Met Ala Lys Lys His Leu Lys Arg Leu Tyr Ala Pro Lys Asp Trp Met 1 5 10 15 Leu Ser Lys Leu Thr Gly Val Phe Ala Pro Arg Pro Arg Pro Gly Pro 20 25 30 His Lys Leu Arg Glu Cys Leu Pro Leu Leu Val Ile Ile Arg Asn Arg 35 40 45 Leu Lys Tyr Ala Leu Asn Ala Arg Glu Gly Glu Met Ile Leu Arg Gln 50 55 60 Gly Leu Val His Val Asp Asn His Pro Arg Arg Asp Gly Lys Tyr Pro 65 70 75 80 Ala Gly Phe Met Asp Val Val Glu Ile Pro Lys Thr Gly Asp Arg Phe 85 90 95 Arg Leu Met Tyr Asp Val Lys Gly Arg Phe Ala Leu Val Asn Leu Ser 100 105 110 Glu Ala Glu Ala Gln Ile Lys Leu Met Lys Val Val Asn Leu Tyr Thr 115 120 125 Ala Thr Gly Arg Val Pro Val Ala Val Thr His Asp Gly His Arg Ile 130 135 140 Arg Tyr Pro Asp Pro His Thr Ser Ile Gly Asp Thr Ile Val Tyr Asn 145 150 155 160 Val Lys Glu Lys Lys Cys Val Asp Leu Ile Lys Asn Arg Gln Gly Lys 165 170 175 Ala Val Ile Val Thr Gly Gly Ala Asn Arg Gly Arg Ile Gly Glu Ile 180 185 190 Val Lys Val Glu Cys His Pro Gly Ala Phe Asn Ile Ala His Leu Lys 195 200 205 Asp Ala Ser Gly Ala Glu Phe Ala Thr Arg Ala Ala Asn Ile Phe Val 210 215 220 Ile Gly Lys Asp Leu Asn Asn Leu Gln Val Thr Val Pro Lys Gln Gln 225 230 235 240 Gly Leu Arg Met Asn Val Ile Gln Glu Arg Glu Glu Arg Leu Ile Ala 245 250 255 Ala Glu Ala Arg Lys Asn Ala Pro Ala Arg Gly Ala Arg Arg Ala Arg 260 265 270 Lys 84 200 PRT Leishmania major 84 Leu Thr Glu Phe Gln Thr Asn Leu Val Pro Tyr Pro Arg Ile His Phe 1 5 10 15 Val Leu Thr Ser Tyr Ala Pro Val Val Ser Ala Glu Lys Ala Tyr His 20 25 30 Glu Gln Leu Ser Val Ala Asp Ile Thr Asn Ser Val Phe Glu Pro Ala 35 40 45 Gly Met Leu Thr Lys Cys Asp Pro Arg His Gly Lys Tyr Met Ser Cys 50 55 60 Cys Leu Met Tyr Arg Gly Asp Val Val Pro Lys Asp Val Asn Ala Ala 65 70 75 80 Ile Ala Thr Ile Lys Thr Lys Arg Thr Ile Gln Phe Val Asp Trp Cys 85 90 95 Pro Thr Gly Phe Lys Cys Gly Ile Asn Tyr Gln Pro Pro Thr Val Val 100 105 110 Pro Gly Gly Asp Leu Ala Lys Val Gln Arg Ala Val Cys Met Ile Ala 115 120 125 Asn Ser Thr Ala Ile Ala Glu Val Phe Ala Arg Ile Asp His Lys Phe 130 135 140 Asp Leu Met Tyr Ser Lys Arg Ala Phe Val His Trp Tyr Val Gly Glu 145 150 155 160 Gly Met Glu Glu Gly Glu Phe Ser Glu Ala Arg Glu Asp Leu Ala Ala 165 170 175 Leu Glu Lys Asp Tyr Glu Glu Val Gly Ala Glu Ser Ala Asp Asp Met 180 185 190 Gly Glu Glu Asp Val Glu Glu Tyr 195 200 85 361 PRT Leishmania major VARIANT (1)...(361) Xaa = Any Amino Acid 85 Lys Lys Trp Ile Lys Gln Glu Thr Asn Ala Asp Gly Glu Arg Val Arg 1 5 10 15 Arg Ala Phe Cys Gln Phe Cys Leu Asp Pro Ile Tyr Gln Ile Phe Asp 20 25 30 Ala Val Met Asn Glu Lys Lys Asp Lys Val Asp Lys Met Leu Lys Ser 35 40 45 Leu His Val Thr Leu Thr Ala Glu Glu Arg Glu Gln Val Pro Xaa Lys 50 55 60 Leu Leu Lys Thr Val Met Met Xaa Phe Leu Pro Ala Ala Glu Thr Leu 65 70 75 80 Leu Gln Met Ile Val Ala His Leu Pro Ser Pro Lys Lys Ala Gln Ala 85 90 95 Tyr Arg Ala Glu Met Leu Tyr Ser Gly Glu Ala Ser Pro Glu Asp Lys 100 105 110 Tyr Phe Met Gly Ile Lys Asn Cys Asp Pro Ala Ala Pro Leu Met Leu 115 120 125 Tyr Ile Ser Lys Met Val Pro Thr Ala Asp Arg Gly Arg Phe Phe Ala 130 135 140 Phe Gly Arg Ile Phe Ser Gly Lys Val Arg Ser Gly Gln Lys Val Arg 145 150 155 160 Ile Met Gly Asn Asn Tyr Val Tyr Gly Lys Lys Gln Asp Leu Tyr Glu 165 170 175 Asp Lys Pro Val Gln Arg Ser Val Leu Met Met Gly Arg Tyr Gln Glu 180 185 190 Ala Val Glu Asp Met Pro Cys Gly Asn Val Val Gly Leu Val Gly Val 195 200 205 Asp Lys Tyr Ile Val Lys Ser Ala Thr Ile Thr Asp Asp Gly Glu Ser 210 215 220 Pro His Pro Leu Arg Asp Met Lys Tyr Ser Val Ser Pro Val Val Arg 225 230 235 240 Val Ala Val Glu Ala Lys Asn Pro Ser Asp Leu Pro Lys Leu Val Glu 245 250 255 Gly Leu Lys Arg Leu Ala Lys Ser Asp Pro Leu Val Val Cys Ser Ile 260 265 270 Glu Glu Ser Gly Glu His Ile Val Ala Gly Ala Gly Glu Leu His Leu 275 280 285 Glu Ile Cys Leu Lys Asp Leu Gln Glu Asp Phe Met Asn Gly Ala Pro 290 295 300 Leu Lys Ile Ser Glu Pro Val Val Ser Phe Arg Glu Thr Val Thr Asp 305 310 315 320 Val Ser Ser Gln Gln Cys Leu Ser Lys Ser Ala Asn Lys His Asn Arg 325 330 335 Leu Phe Cys Arg Gly Ala Pro Leu Thr Glu Xaa Leu Ala Leu Ala Xaa 340 345 350 Xaa Glu Gly Thr Ala Gly Pro Xaa Ala 355 360 86 149 PRT Leishmania major VARIANT (1)...(149) Xaa = Any Amino Acid 86 Arg Ile Asn Val Tyr Phe Asp Xaa Ser Thr Gly Gly Arg Tyr Val Pro 1 5 10 15 Arg Ala Val Leu Met Asp Leu Glu Pro Gly Thr Met Asp Ser Val Arg 20 25 30 Ala Gly Pro Tyr Gly Gln Leu Phe Arg Pro Asp Asn Phe Ile Phe Gly 35 40 45 Gln Ser Gly Ala Gly Asn Asn Trp Ala Lys Gly His Tyr Thr Glu Gly 50 55 60 Ala Glu Leu Ile Asp Ser Val Leu Asp Val Cys Arg Lys Glu Ala Glu 65 70 75 80 Ser Cys Asp Cys Leu Gln Gly Phe Gln Leu Ser His Ser Leu Gly Gly 85 90 95 Gly Thr Gly Ser Gly Met Gly Thr Leu Leu Ile Ser Xaa Leu Arg Xaa 100 105 110 Glu Tyr Pro Asp Arg Ile Met Met Thr Phe Ser Val Ile Pro Ser Pro 115 120 125 Arg Val Ser Asp Thr Val Val Xaa Pro Tyr Asn Thr Thr Leu Ser Val 130 135 140 His Gln Leu Val Glu 145 87 69 PRT Leishmania major 87 Asn Pro Leu Val Tyr Ala Tyr Val Asp Thr Asp Gly Gln His Glu Thr 1 5 10 15 Thr Phe Leu Ala Ile Pro Val Val Leu Gly Met Asn Gly Ile Glu Lys 20 25 30 Arg Leu Pro Ile Gly Pro Leu His Ser Thr Glu Glu Thr Leu Leu Lys 35 40 45 Ala Ala Leu Pro Val Ile Lys Lys Asn Ile Val Lys Gly Ser Glu Phe 50 55 60 Ala Arg Ser His Leu 65 88 54 DNA Artificial Sequence PCR primer 88 agtattcata tgcaccacca ccaccaccac atgtcctgcg gtaacgccaa gatc 54 89 33 DNA Artificial Sequence PCR primer 89 ctcacaggat ccctgcttgc tgaagtatcc ttc 33 90 36 DNA Artificial Sequence PCR primer 90 catttcggat ccatggacgc aactgagctg aagaac 36 91 33 DNA Artificial Sequence PCR primer 91 cgtagagaat tcctgaccaa aacgaatgat gcc 33 92 33 DNA Artificial Sequence PCR primer 92 caccacgaat tcatggcgca gaatgataag atc 33 93 34 DNA Artificial Sequence PCR primer 93 actgacctcg aggaattctt agtcgcgcat gaac 34 94 3012 DNA Artificial Sequence DNA sequence encoding fusion (poly-protein) constructs comprising multiple Leishmania antigens 94 catatgcacc accaccacca ccacatgtcc tgcggtaacg ccaagatcaa ctctcccgcg 60 ccgtccttcg aggaggtggc gctcatgccc aacggcagct tcaagaagat cagcctctcc 120 tcctacaagg gcaagtgggt cgtgctcttc ttctacccgc tcgacttcac cttcgtgtgc 180 ccgacagagg tcatcgcgtt ctccgacagc gtgagtcgct tcaacgagct caactgcgag 240 gtcctcgcgt gctcgataga cagcgagtac gcgcacctgc agtggacgct gcaggaccgc 300 aagaagggcg gcctcgggac catggcgatc ccaatgctag ccgacaagac caagagcatc 360 gctcgttcct acggcgtgct ggaggagagc cagggcgtgg cctaccgcgg tctcttcatc 420 atcgaccccc atggcatgct gcgtcagatc accgtcaatg acatgccggt gggccgcagc 480 gtggaggagg ttctacgcct gctggaggct tttcagttcg tggagaagca cggcgaggtg 540 tgccccgcga actggaagaa gggcgccccc acgatgaagc cggaaccgaa tgcgtctgtc 600 gagggatact tcagcaagca gggatccatg gacgcaactg agctgaagaa caaggggaac 660 gaagagttct ccgccggccg ctatgtggag gcggtgaact acttctcaaa ggcgatccag 720 ttggatgagc agaacagtgt cctctacagc aaccgctccg cctgttttgc agccatgcag 780 aaatacaagg acgcgctgga cgacgccgac aagtgcatct cgatcaagcc gaattgggcc 840 aagggctacg tgcgccgagg agcagctctc catggcatgc gccgctacga cgatgccatt 900 gccgcgtatg aaaaggggct caaggtggac ccttccaaca gcggctgcgc gcagggcgtg 960 aaggacgtgc aggtagccaa ggcccgcgaa gcacgtgacc ccatcgctcg cgtcttcacc 1020 ccggaggcgt tccgcaagat ccaagagaat cccaagctgt ctctacttat gctgcagccg 1080 gactacgtga agatggtaga caccgtcatc cgcgaccctt cgcagggccg gctgtacatg 1140 gaagaccagc gctttgccct gacgctcatg tacctgagcg gaatgaagat tcccaacgat 1200 ggtgatggcg aggaggagga acgtccgtct gcgaaggcgg cagagacagc gaagccaaaa 1260 gaggagaagc ctctcaccga caacgagaag gaggccctgg cgctcaagga ggagggcaac 1320 aagctgtacc tctcgaagaa gtttgaggag gcgctgacca agtaccaaga ggcgcaggtg 1380 aaagacccca acaacacttt atacattctg aacgtgtcgg ccgtgtactt cgagcagggt 1440 gactacgaca agtgcatcgc cgagtgcgag cacggtatcg agcacggtcg cgagaaccac 1500 tgcgactaca caatcattgc gaagctcatg acccggaacg ccttgtgcct ccagaggcag 1560 aggaagtacg aggctgctat cgacctttac aagcgcgccc ttgtcgagtg gcgtaaccct 1620 gacaccctca agaagctgac ggagtgcgag aaggagcacc aaaaggcggt ggaggaagcc 1680 tacatcgatc ctgagatcgc gaagcagaag aaagacgaag gtaaccagta cttcaaggag 1740 gataagttcc ccgaggccgt ggcagcgtac acggaggcca tcaagcgcaa ccctgccgag 1800 cacacctcct acagcaatcg cgcggccgcg tacatcaagc ttggagcctt caacgacgcc 1860 ctcaaggacg cggagaagtg cattgagctg aagcccgact ttgttaaggg ctacgcgcgc 1920 aagggtcatg cttacttttg gaccaagcag tacaaccgcg cgctgcaggc gtacaatgag 1980 ggcctcaagg tggacccgag caatgcggac tgcaaggatg ggcggtatcg cacaatcatg 2040 aagattcagg agatggcatc tggccaatcc gcggatggcg acgaggcggc gcgccgggcc 2100 atggacgatc ctgaaatcgc ggcaatcatg caagatagct acatgcaact agtgttgaag 2160 gagatgcaga acgatcccac gcgcattcag gagtacatga aggactccgg gatctcatcg 2220 aagatcaaca agctgatttc agctggcatc attcgttttg gtcaggaatt catggcgcag 2280 aatgataaga tcgcccccca ggaccaggac tccttcctcg atgaccagcc cggcgttcgc 2340 ccgatcccgt ccttcgacga catgccgctg caccagaacc tgctgcgtgg catctactcg 2400 tacgggttcg agaagccgtc cagcatccag cagcgcgcga tagccccctt cacgcgcggc 2460 ggcgacatca tcgcgcaggc ccagtccggt accggcaaga cgggtgcctt ctccatcggt 2520 ctgctgcagc gcctggactt ccgccacaac ctgatccagg gcctcgtgct ctcccccact 2580 cgcgagctgg ccctgcagac ggcggaggtg atcagccgca tcggtgagtt cctgtcgaac 2640 agctccaagt tctgcgagac ctttgtcggc ggcacgcgcg tgcaggatga cctgcgcaag 2700 ctgcaggccg gcgtcatcgt tgccgtgggc acgccgggcc gcgtgtccga cgtgatcaag 2760 cgtggcgcgc tgcgcacaga gtcgctgcgc gtgctggtgc tcgacgaggc tgatgagatg 2820 ctgtctcagg gcttcgcgga ccagatttac gagatcttcc gcttcctgcc gaaggacatc 2880 caggtcgcgc tcttctccgc cacgatgccg gaggaggtac tggagctgac gaagaagttc 2940 atgcgcgact aagaattcct cgagcagatc cggctgctaa caaagcccga aaggaagctg 3000 aatggctgct gc 3012 95 982 PRT Artificial Sequence Fusion (poly-protein) constructs comprising multiple Leishmania antigens 95 Met His His His His His His Met Ser Cys Gly Asn Ala Lys Ile Asn 5 10 15 Ser Pro Ala Pro Ser Phe Glu Glu Val Ala Leu Met Pro Asn Gly Ser 20 25 30 Phe Lys Lys Ile Ser Leu Ser Ser Tyr Lys Gly Lys Trp Val Val Leu 35 40 45 Phe Phe Tyr Pro Leu Asp Phe Thr Phe Val Cys Pro Thr Glu Val Ile 50 55 60 Ala Phe Ser Asp Ser Val Ser Arg Phe Asn Glu Leu Asn Cys Glu Val 65 70 75 80 Leu Ala Cys Ser Ile Asp Ser Glu Tyr Ala His Leu Gln Trp Thr Leu 85 90 95 Gln Asp Arg Lys Lys Gly Gly Leu Gly Thr Met Ala Ile Pro Met Leu 100 105 110 Ala Asp Lys Thr Lys Ser Ile Ala Arg Ser Tyr Gly Val Leu Glu Glu 115 120 125 Ser Gln Gly Val Ala Tyr Arg Gly Leu Phe Ile Ile Asp Pro His Gly 130 135 140 Met Leu Arg Gln Ile Thr Val Asn Asp Met Pro Val Gly Arg Ser Val 145 150 155 160 Glu Glu Val Leu Arg Leu Leu Glu Ala Phe Gln Phe Val Glu Lys His 165 170 175 Gly Glu Val Cys Pro Ala Asn Trp Lys Lys Gly Ala Pro Thr Met Lys 180 185 190 Pro Glu Pro Asn Ala Ser Val Glu Gly Tyr Phe Ser Lys Gln Gly Ser 195 200 205 Met Asp Ala Thr Glu Leu Lys Asn Lys Gly Asn Glu Glu Phe Ser Ala 210 215 220 Gly Arg Tyr Val Glu Ala Val Asn Tyr Phe Ser Lys Ala Ile Gln Leu 225 230 235 240 Asp Glu Gln Asn Ser Val Leu Tyr Ser Asn Arg Ser Ala Cys Phe Ala 245 250 255 Ala Met Gln Lys Tyr Lys Asp Ala Leu Asp Asp Ala Asp Lys Cys Ile 260 265 270 Ser Ile Lys Pro Asn Trp Ala Lys Gly Tyr Val Arg Arg Gly Ala Ala 275 280 285 Leu His Gly Met Arg Arg Tyr Asp Asp Ala Ile Ala Ala Tyr Glu Lys 290 295 300 Gly Leu Lys Val Asp Pro Ser Asn Ser Gly Cys Ala Gln Gly Val Lys 305 310 315 320 Asp Val Gln Val Ala Lys Ala Arg Glu Ala Arg Asp Pro Ile Ala Arg 325 330 335 Val Phe Thr Pro Glu Ala Phe Arg Lys Ile Gln Glu Asn Pro Lys Leu 340 345 350 Ser Leu Leu Met Leu Gln Pro Asp Tyr Val Lys Met Val Asp Thr Val 355 360 365 Ile Arg Asp Pro Ser Gln Gly Arg Leu Tyr Met Glu Asp Gln Arg Phe 370 375 380 Ala Leu Thr Leu Met Tyr Leu Ser Gly Met Lys Ile Pro Asn Asp Gly 385 390 395 400 Asp Gly Glu Glu Glu Glu Arg Pro Ser Ala Lys Ala Ala Glu Thr Ala 405 410 415 Lys Pro Lys Glu Glu Lys Pro Leu Thr Asp Asn Glu Lys Glu Ala Leu 420 425 430 Ala Leu Lys Glu Glu Gly Asn Lys Leu Tyr Leu Ser Lys Lys Phe Glu 435 440 445 Glu Ala Leu Thr Lys Tyr Gln Glu Ala Gln Val Lys Asp Pro Asn Asn 450 455 460 Thr Leu Tyr Ile Leu Asn Val Ser Ala Val Tyr Phe Glu Gln Gly Asp 465 470 475 480 Tyr Asp Lys Cys Ile Ala Glu Cys Glu His Gly Ile Glu His Gly Arg 485 490 495 Glu Asn His Cys Asp Tyr Thr Ile Ile Ala Lys Leu Met Thr Arg Asn 500 505 510 Ala Leu Cys Leu Gln Arg Gln Arg Lys Tyr Glu Ala Ala Ile Asp Leu 515 520 525 Tyr Lys Arg Ala Leu Val Glu Trp Arg Asn Pro Asp Thr Leu Lys Lys 530 535 540 Leu Thr Glu Cys Glu Lys Glu His Gln Lys Ala Val Glu Glu Ala Tyr 545 550 555 560 Ile Asp Pro Glu Ile Ala Lys Gln Lys Lys Asp Glu Gly Asn Gln Tyr 565 570 575 Phe Lys Glu Asp Lys Phe Pro Glu Ala Val Ala Ala Tyr Thr Glu Ala 580 585 590 Ile Lys Arg Asn Pro Ala Glu His Thr Ser Tyr Ser Asn Arg Ala Ala 595 600 605 Ala Tyr Ile Lys Leu Gly Ala Phe Asn Asp Ala Leu Lys Asp Ala Glu 610 615 620 Lys Cys Ile Glu Leu Lys Pro Asp Phe Val Lys Gly Tyr Ala Arg Lys 625 630 635 640 Gly His Ala Tyr Phe Trp Thr Lys Gln Tyr Asn Arg Ala Leu Gln Ala 645 650 655 Tyr Asn Glu Gly Leu Lys Val Asp Pro Ser Asn Ala Asp Cys Lys Asp 660 665 670 Gly Arg Tyr Arg Thr Ile Met Lys Ile Gln Glu Met Ala Ser Gly Gln 675 680 685 Ser Ala Asp Gly Asp Glu Ala Ala Arg Arg Ala Met Asp Asp Pro Glu 690 695 700 Ile Ala Ala Ile Met Gln Asp Ser Tyr Met Gln Leu Val Leu Lys Glu 705 710 715 720 Met Gln Asn Asp Pro Thr Arg Ile Gln Glu Tyr Met Lys Asp Ser Gly 725 730 735 Ile Ser Ser Lys Ile Asn Lys Leu Ile Ser Ala Gly Ile Ile Arg Phe 740 745 750 Gly Gln Glu Phe Met Ala Gln Asn Asp Lys Ile Ala Pro Gln Asp Gln 755 760 765 Asp Ser Phe Leu Asp Asp Gln Pro Gly Val Arg Pro Ile Pro Ser Phe 770 775 780 Asp Asp Met Pro Leu His Gln Asn Leu Leu Arg Gly Ile Tyr Ser Tyr 785 790 795 800 Gly Phe Glu Lys Pro Ser Ser Ile Gln Gln Arg Ala Ile Ala Pro Phe 805 810 815 Thr Arg Gly Gly Asp Ile Ile Ala Gln Ala Gln Ser Gly Thr Gly Lys 820 825 830 Thr Gly Ala Phe Ser Ile Gly Leu Leu Gln Arg Leu Asp Phe Arg His 835 840 845 Asn Leu Ile Gln Gly Leu Val Leu Ser Pro Thr Arg Glu Leu Ala Leu 850 855 860 Gln Thr Ala Glu Val Ile Ser Arg Ile Gly Glu Phe Leu Ser Asn Ser 865 870 875 880 Ser Lys Phe Cys Glu Thr Phe Val Gly Gly Thr Arg Val Gln Asp Asp 885 890 895 Leu Arg Lys Leu Gln Ala Gly Val Ile Val Ala Val Gly Thr Pro Gly 900 905 910 Arg Val Ser Asp Val Ile Lys Arg Gly Ala Leu Arg Thr Glu Ser Leu 915 920 925 Arg Val Leu Val Leu Asp Glu Ala Asp Glu Met Leu Ser Gln Gly Phe 930 935 940 Ala Asp Gln Ile Tyr Glu Ile Phe Arg Phe Leu Pro Lys Asp Ile Gln 945 950 955 960 Val Ala Leu Phe Ser Ala Thr Met Pro Glu Glu Val Leu Glu Leu Thr 965 970 975 Lys Lys Phe Met Arg Asp 980 96 1641 PRT Artificial Sequence Fusion (poly-protein) constructs comprising multiple Leishmania antigens 96 Met His His His His His His Met Ser Cys Gly Asn Ala Lys Ile Asn 5 10 15 Ser Pro Ala Pro Ser Phe Glu Glu Val Ala Leu Met Pro Asn Gly Ser 20 25 30 Phe Lys Lys Ile Ser Leu Ser Ser Tyr Lys Gly Lys Trp Val Val Leu 35 40 45 Phe Phe Tyr Pro Leu Asp Phe Thr Phe Val Cys Pro Thr Glu Val Ile 50 55 60 Ala Phe Ser Asp Ser Val Ser Arg Phe Asn Glu Leu Asn Cys Glu Val 65 70 75 80 Leu Ala Cys Ser Ile Asp Ser Glu Tyr Ala His Leu Gln Trp Thr Leu 85 90 95 Gln Asp Arg Lys Lys Gly Gly Leu Gly Thr Met Ala Ile Pro Met Leu 100 105 110 Ala Asp Lys Thr Lys Ser Ile Ala Arg Ser Tyr Gly Val Leu Glu Glu 115 120 125 Ser Gln Gly Val Ala Tyr Arg Gly Leu Phe Ile Ile Asp Pro His Gly 130 135 140 Met Leu Arg Gln Ile Thr Val Asn Asp Met Pro Val Gly Arg Ser Val 145 150 155 160 Glu Glu Val Leu Arg Leu Leu Glu Ala Phe Gln Phe Val Glu Lys His 165 170 175 Gly Glu Val Cys Pro Ala Asn Trp Lys Lys Gly Ala Pro Thr Met Lys 180 185 190 Pro Glu Pro Asn Ala Ser Val Glu Gly Tyr Phe Ser Lys Gln Gly Ser 195 200 205 Met Asp Ala Thr Glu Leu Lys Asn Lys Gly Asn Glu Glu Phe Ser Ala 210 215 220 Gly Arg Tyr Val Glu Ala Val Asn Tyr Phe Ser Lys Ala Ile Gln Leu 225 230 235 240 Asp Glu Gln Asn Ser Val Leu Tyr Ser Asn Arg Ser Ala Cys Phe Ala 245 250 255 Ala Met Gln Lys Tyr Lys Asp Ala Leu Asp Asp Ala Asp Lys Cys Ile 260 265 270 Ser Ile Lys Pro Asn Trp Ala Lys Gly Tyr Val Arg Arg Gly Ala Ala 275 280 285 Leu His Gly Met Arg Arg Tyr Asp Asp Ala Ile Ala Ala Tyr Glu Lys 290 295 300 Gly Leu Lys Val Asp Pro Ser Asn Ser Gly Cys Ala Gln Gly Val Lys 305 310 315 320 Asp Val Gln Val Ala Lys Ala Arg Glu Ala Arg Asp Pro Ile Ala Arg 325 330 335 Val Phe Thr Pro Glu Ala Phe Arg Lys Ile Gln Glu Asn Pro Lys Leu 340 345 350 Ser Leu Leu Met Leu Gln Pro Asp Tyr Val Lys Met Val Asp Thr Val 355 360 365 Ile Arg Asp Pro Ser Gln Gly Arg Leu Tyr Met Glu Asp Gln Arg Phe 370 375 380 Ala Leu Thr Leu Met Tyr Leu Ser Gly Met Lys Ile Pro Asn Asp Gly 385 390 395 400 Asp Gly Glu Glu Glu Glu Arg Pro Ser Ala Lys Ala Ala Glu Thr Ala 405 410 415 Lys Pro Lys Glu Glu Lys Pro Leu Thr Asp Asn Glu Lys Glu Ala Leu 420 425 430 Ala Leu Lys Glu Glu Gly Asn Lys Leu Tyr Leu Ser Lys Lys Phe Glu 435 440 445 Glu Ala Leu Thr Lys Tyr Gln Glu Ala Gln Val Lys Asp Pro Asn Asn 450 455 460 Thr Leu Tyr Ile Leu Asn Val Ser Ala Val Tyr Phe Glu Gln Gly Asp 465 470 475 480 Tyr Asp Lys Cys Ile Ala Glu Cys Glu His Gly Ile Glu His Gly Arg 485 490 495 Glu Asn His Cys Asp Tyr Thr Ile Ile Ala Lys Leu Met Thr Arg Asn 500 505 510 Ala Leu Cys Leu Gln Arg Gln Arg Lys Tyr Glu Ala Ala Ile Asp Leu 515 520 525 Tyr Lys Arg Ala Leu Val Glu Trp Arg Asn Pro Asp Thr Leu Lys Lys 530 535 540 Leu Thr Glu Cys Glu Lys Glu His Gln Lys Ala Val Glu Glu Ala Tyr 545 550 555 560 Ile Asp Pro Glu Ile Ala Lys Gln Lys Lys Asp Glu Gly Asn Gln Tyr 565 570 575 Phe Lys Glu Asp Lys Phe Pro Glu Ala Val Ala Ala Tyr Thr Glu Ala 580 585 590 Ile Lys Arg Asn Pro Ala Glu His Thr Ser Tyr Ser Asn Arg Ala Ala 595 600 605 Ala Tyr Ile Lys Leu Gly Ala Phe Asn Asp Ala Leu Lys Asp Ala Glu 610 615 620 Lys Cys Ile Glu Leu Lys Pro Asp Phe Val Lys Gly Tyr Ala Arg Lys 625 630 635 640 Gly His Ala Tyr Phe Trp Thr Lys Gln Tyr Asn Arg Ala Leu Gln Ala 645 650 655 Tyr Asn Glu Gly Leu Lys Val Asp Pro Ser Asn Ala Asp Cys Lys Asp 660 665 670 Gly Arg Tyr Arg Thr Ile Met Lys Ile Gln Glu Met Ala Ser Gly Gln 675 680 685 Ser Ala Asp Gly Asp Glu Ala Ala Arg Arg Ala Met Asp Asp Pro Glu 690 695 700 Ile Ala Ala Ile Met Gln Asp Ser Tyr Met Gln Leu Val Leu Lys Glu 705 710 715 720 Met Gln Asn Asp Pro Thr Arg Ile Gln Glu Tyr Met Lys Asp Ser Gly 725 730 735 Ile Ser Ser Lys Ile Asn Lys Leu Ile Ser Ala Gly Ile Ile Arg Phe 740 745 750 Gly Gln Glu Phe Ser Leu Thr Asp Pro Ala Val Leu Gly Glu Glu Thr 755 760 765 His Leu Arg Val Arg Val Val Pro Asp Lys Ala Asn Lys Thr Leu Thr 770 775 780 Val Glu Asp Asn Gly Ile Gly Met Thr Lys Ala Asp Leu Val Asn Asn 785 790 795 800 Leu Gly Thr Ile Ala Arg Ser Gly Thr Lys Ala Phe Met Glu Ala Leu 805 810 815 Glu Ala Gly Gly Asp Met Ser Met Ile Gly Gln Phe Gly Val Gly Phe 820 825 830 Tyr Ser Ala Tyr Leu Val Ala Asp Arg Val Thr Val Val Ser Lys Asn 835 840 845 Asn Ser Asp Glu Ala Tyr Val Trp Glu Ser Ser Ala Gly Gly Thr Phe 850 855 860 Thr Ile Thr Ser Val Pro Glu Ser Asp Met Lys Arg Gly Thr Arg Ile 865 870 875 880 Thr Leu His Leu Lys Glu Asp Gln Gln Glu Tyr Leu Glu Glu Arg Arg 885 890 895 Val Lys Glu Leu Ile Lys Lys His Ser Glu Phe Ile Gly Tyr Asp Ile 900 905 910 Glu Leu Met Val Glu Lys Thr Ala Glu Lys Glu Val Thr Asp Glu Asp 915 920 925 Glu Glu Glu Asp Glu Ser Lys Lys Lys Ser Cys Gly Asp Glu Gly Glu 930 935 940 Pro Lys Val Glu Glu Val Thr Glu Gly Gly Glu Asp Lys Lys Lys Lys 945 950 955 960 Thr Lys Lys Val Lys Glu Val Thr Lys Thr Tyr Glu Val Gln Asn Lys 965 970 975 His Lys Pro Leu Trp Thr Arg Asp Pro Lys Asp Val Thr Lys Glu Glu 980 985 990 Tyr Ala Ala Phe Tyr Lys Ala Ile Ser Asn Asp Trp Glu Asp Pro Ala 995 1000 1005 Ala Thr Lys His Phe Ser Val Glu Gly Gln Leu Glu Phe Arg Ala Ile 1010 1015 1020 Ala Phe Val Pro Lys Arg Ala Pro Phe Asp Met Phe Glu Pro Asn Lys 1025 1030 1035 1040 Lys Arg Asn Asn Ile Lys Leu Tyr Val Arg Arg Val Phe Ile Met Asp 1045 1050 1055 Asn Cys Glu Asp Leu Cys Pro Asp Trp Leu Gly Phe Val Lys Gly Val 1060 1065 1070 Val Asp Ser Glu Asp Leu Pro Leu Asn Ile Ser Arg Glu Asn Leu Gln 1075 1080 1085 Gln Asn Lys Ile Leu Lys Val Ile Arg Lys Asn Ile Val Lys Lys Cys 1090 1095 1100 Leu Glu Leu Phe Glu Glu Ile Ala Glu Asn Lys Glu Asp Tyr Lys Gln 1105 1110 1115 1120 Phe Tyr Glu Gln Phe Gly Lys Asn Ile Lys Leu Gly Ile His Glu Asp 1125 1130 1135 Thr Ala Asn Arg Lys Lys Leu Met Glu Leu Leu Arg Phe Tyr Ser Thr 1140 1145 1150 Glu Ser Gly Glu Glu Met Thr Thr Leu Lys Asp Tyr Val Thr Arg Met 1155 1160 1165 Lys Pro Glu Gln Lys Ser Ile Tyr Tyr Ile Thr Gly Asp Ser Lys Lys 1170 1175 1180 Lys Leu Glu Ser Ser Pro Phe Ile Glu Lys Ala Arg Arg Cys Gly Leu 1185 1190 1195 1200 Glu Val Leu Phe Met Thr Glu Pro Ile Asp Glu Tyr Val Met Gln Gln 1205 1210 1215 Val Lys Asp Phe Glu Asp Lys Lys Phe Ala Cys Leu Thr Lys Glu Gly 1220 1225 1230 Val His Phe Glu Glu Ser Glu Glu Glu Lys Lys Gln Arg Glu Glu Lys 1235 1240 1245 Lys Ala Ala Cys Glu Lys Leu Cys Lys Thr Met Lys Glu Val Leu Gly 1250 1255 1260 Asp Lys Val Glu Lys Val Thr Val Ser Glu Arg Leu Ser Thr Ser Pro 1265 1270 1275 1280 Cys Ile Leu Val Thr Ser Glu Phe Gly Trp Ser Ala His Met Glu Gln 1285 1290 1295 Ile Met Arg Asn Gln Ala Leu Arg Asp Ser Ser Met Ala Gln Tyr Met 1300 1305 1310 Val Ser Lys Lys Thr Met Glu Val Asn Pro Asp His Pro Ile Ile Lys 1315 1320 1325 Glu Leu Arg Arg Arg Val Glu Ala Asp Glu Asn Asp Lys Ala Val Lys 1330 1335 1340 Asp Leu Val Phe Leu Leu Phe Asp Thr Ser Leu Leu Thr Ser Gly Phe 1345 1350 1355 1360 Gln Leu Asp Asp Pro Thr Gly Tyr Ala Glu Arg Ile Asn Arg Met Ile 1365 1370 1375 Lys Leu Gly Leu Ser Leu Asp Glu Glu Glu Glu Glu Val Ala Glu Ala 1380 1385 1390 Pro Pro Ala Glu Ala Ala Pro Ala Glu Val Thr Ala Gly Thr Ser Ser 1395 1400 1405 Met Glu Gln Val Asp Asp Ile Met Ala Gln Asn Asp Lys Ile Ala Pro 1410 1415 1420 Gln Asp Gln Asp Ser Phe Leu Asp Asp Gln Pro Gly Val Arg Pro Ile 1425 1430 1435 1440 Pro Ser Phe Asp Asp Met Pro Leu His Gln Asn Leu Leu Arg Gly Ile 1445 1450 1455 Tyr Ser Tyr Gly Phe Glu Lys Pro Ser Ser Ile Gln Gln Arg Ala Ile 1460 1465 1470 Ala Pro Phe Thr Arg Gly Gly Asp Ile Ile Ala Gln Ala Gln Ser Gly 1475 1480 1485 Thr Gly Lys Thr Gly Ala Phe Ser Ile Gly Leu Leu Gln Arg Leu Asp 1490 1495 1500 Phe Arg His Asn Leu Ile Gln Gly Leu Val Leu Ser Pro Thr Arg Glu 1505 1510 1515 1520 Leu Ala Leu Gln Thr Ala Glu Val Ile Ser Arg Ile Gly Glu Phe Leu 1525 1530 1535 Ser Asn Ser Ser Lys Phe Cys Glu Thr Phe Val Gly Gly Thr Arg Val 1540 1545 1550 Gln Asp Asp Leu Arg Lys Leu Gln Ala Gly Val Ile Val Ala Val Gly 1555 1560 1565 Thr Pro Gly Arg Val Ser Asp Val Ile Lys Arg Gly Ala Leu Arg Thr 1570 1575 1580 Glu Ser Leu Arg Val Leu Val Leu Asp Glu Ala Asp Glu Met Leu Ser 1585 1590 1595 1600 Gln Gly Phe Ala Asp Gln Ile Tyr Glu Ile Phe Arg Phe Leu Pro Lys 1605 1610 1615 Asp Ile Gln Val Ala Leu Phe Ser Ala Thr Met Pro Glu Glu Val Leu 1620 1625 1630 Glu Leu Thr Lys Lys Phe Met Arg Asp 1635 1640 97 1427 PRT Artificial Sequence Fusion (poly-protein) constructs comprising multiple Leishmania antigens 97 Met His His His His His His Met Ser Cys Gly Asn Ala Lys Ile Asn 5 10 15 Ser Pro Ala Pro Ser Phe Glu Glu Val Ala Leu Met Pro Asn Gly Ser 20 25 30 Phe Lys Lys Ile Ser Leu Ser Ser Tyr Lys Gly Lys Trp Val Val Leu 35 40 45 Phe Phe Tyr Pro Leu Asp Phe Thr Phe Val Cys Pro Thr Glu Val Ile 50 55 60 Ala Phe Ser Asp Ser Val Ser Arg Phe Asn Glu Leu Asn Cys Glu Val 65 70 75 80 Leu Ala Cys Ser Ile Asp Ser Glu Tyr Ala His Leu Gln Trp Thr Leu 85 90 95 Gln Asp Arg Lys Lys Gly Gly Leu Gly Thr Met Ala Ile Pro Met Leu 100 105 110 Ala Asp Lys Thr Lys Ser Ile Ala Arg Ser Tyr Gly Val Leu Glu Glu 115 120 125 Ser Gln Gly Val Ala Tyr Arg Gly Leu Phe Ile Ile Asp Pro His Gly 130 135 140 Met Leu Arg Gln Ile Thr Val Asn Asp Met Pro Val Gly Arg Ser Val 145 150 155 160 Glu Glu Val Leu Arg Leu Leu Glu Ala Phe Gln Phe Val Glu Lys His 165 170 175 Gly Glu Val Cys Pro Ala Asn Trp Lys Lys Gly Ala Pro Thr Met Lys 180 185 190 Pro Glu Pro Asn Ala Ser Val Glu Gly Tyr Phe Ser Lys Gln Gly Ser 195 200 205 Met Asp Ala Thr Glu Leu Lys Asn Lys Gly Asn Glu Glu Phe Ser Ala 210 215 220 Gly Arg Tyr Val Glu Ala Val Asn Tyr Phe Ser Lys Ala Ile Gln Leu 225 230 235 240 Asp Glu Gln Asn Ser Val Leu Tyr Ser Asn Arg Ser Ala Cys Phe Ala 245 250 255 Ala Met Gln Lys Tyr Lys Asp Ala Leu Asp Asp Ala Asp Lys Cys Ile 260 265 270 Ser Ile Lys Pro Asn Trp Ala Lys Gly Tyr Val Arg Arg Gly Ala Ala 275 280 285 Leu His Gly Met Arg Arg Tyr Asp Asp Ala Ile Ala Ala Tyr Glu Lys 290 295 300 Gly Leu Lys Val Asp Pro Ser Asn Ser Gly Cys Ala Gln Gly Val Lys 305 310 315 320 Asp Val Gln Val Ala Lys Ala Arg Glu Ala Arg Asp Pro Ile Ala Arg 325 330 335 Val Phe Thr Pro Glu Ala Phe Arg Lys Ile Gln Glu Asn Pro Lys Leu 340 345 350 Ser Leu Leu Met Leu Gln Pro Asp Tyr Val Lys Met Val Asp Thr Val 355 360 365 Ile Arg Asp Pro Ser Gln Gly Arg Leu Tyr Met Glu Asp Gln Arg Phe 370 375 380 Ala Leu Thr Leu Met Tyr Leu Ser Gly Met Lys Ile Pro Asn Asp Gly 385 390 395 400 Asp Gly Glu Glu Glu Glu Arg Pro Ser Ala Lys Ala Ala Glu Thr Ala 405 410 415 Lys Pro Lys Glu Glu Lys Pro Leu Thr Asp Asn Glu Lys Glu Ala Leu 420 425 430 Ala Leu Lys Glu Glu Gly Asn Lys Leu Tyr Leu Ser Lys Lys Phe Glu 435 440 445 Glu Ala Leu Thr Lys Tyr Gln Glu Ala Gln Val Lys Asp Pro Asn Asn 450 455 460 Thr Leu Tyr Ile Leu Asn Val Ser Ala Val Tyr Phe Glu Gln Gly Asp 465 470 475 480 Tyr Asp Lys Cys Ile Ala Glu Cys Glu His Gly Ile Glu His Gly Arg 485 490 495 Glu Asn His Cys Asp Tyr Thr Ile Ile Ala Lys Leu Met Thr Arg Asn 500 505 510 Ala Leu Cys Leu Gln Arg Gln Arg Lys Tyr Glu Ala Ala Ile Asp Leu 515 520 525 Tyr Lys Arg Ala Leu Val Glu Trp Arg Asn Pro Asp Thr Leu Lys Lys 530 535 540 Leu Thr Glu Cys Glu Lys Glu His Gln Lys Ala Val Glu Glu Ala Tyr 545 550 555 560 Ile Asp Pro Glu Ile Ala Lys Gln Lys Lys Asp Glu Gly Asn Gln Tyr 565 570 575 Phe Lys Glu Asp Lys Phe Pro Glu Ala Val Ala Ala Tyr Thr Glu Ala 580 585 590 Ile Lys Arg Asn Pro Ala Glu His Thr Ser Tyr Ser Asn Arg Ala Ala 595 600 605 Ala Tyr Ile Lys Leu Gly Ala Phe Asn Asp Ala Leu Lys Asp Ala Glu 610 615 620 Lys Cys Ile Glu Leu Lys Pro Asp Phe Val Lys Gly Tyr Ala Arg Lys 625 630 635 640 Gly His Ala Tyr Phe Trp Thr Lys Gln Tyr Asn Arg Ala Leu Gln Ala 645 650 655 Tyr Asn Glu Gly Leu Lys Val Asp Pro Ser Asn Ala Asp Cys Lys Asp 660 665 670 Gly Arg Tyr Arg Thr Ile Met Lys Ile Gln Glu Met Ala Ser Gly Gln 675 680 685 Ser Ala Asp Gly Asp Glu Ala Ala Arg Arg Ala Met Asp Asp Pro Glu 690 695 700 Ile Ala Ala Ile Met Gln Asp Ser Tyr Met Gln Leu Val Leu Lys Glu 705 710 715 720 Met Gln Asn Asp Pro Thr Arg Ile Gln Glu Tyr Met Lys Asp Ser Gly 725 730 735 Ile Ser Ser Lys Ile Asn Lys Leu Ile Ser Ala Gly Ile Ile Arg Phe 740 745 750 Gly Gln Glu Phe Ser Leu Thr Asp Pro Ala Val Leu Gly Glu Glu Thr 755 760 765 His Leu Arg Val Arg Val Val Pro Asp Lys Ala Asn Lys Thr Leu Thr 770 775 780 Val Glu Asp Asn Gly Ile Gly Met Thr Lys Ala Asp Leu Val Asn Asn 785 790 795 800 Leu Gly Thr Ile Ala Arg Ser Gly Thr Lys Ala Phe Met Glu Ala Leu 805 810 815 Glu Ala Gly Gly Asp Met Ser Met Ile Gly Gln Phe Gly Val Gly Phe 820 825 830 Tyr Ser Ala Tyr Leu Val Ala Asp Arg Val Thr Val Val Ser Lys Asn 835 840 845 Asn Ser Asp Glu Ala Tyr Val Trp Glu Ser Ser Ala Gly Gly Thr Phe 850 855 860 Thr Ile Thr Ser Val Pro Glu Ser Asp Met Lys Arg Gly Thr Arg Ile 865 870 875 880 Thr Leu His Leu Lys Glu Asp Gln Gln Glu Tyr Leu Glu Glu Arg Arg 885 890 895 Val Lys Glu Leu Ile Lys Lys His Ser Glu Phe Ile Gly Tyr Asp Ile 900 905 910 Glu Leu Met Val Glu Lys Thr Ala Glu Lys Glu Val Thr Asp Glu Asp 915 920 925 Glu Glu Glu Asp Glu Ser Lys Lys Lys Ser Cys Gly Asp Glu Gly Glu 930 935 940 Pro Lys Val Glu Glu Val Thr Glu Gly Gly Glu Asp Lys Lys Lys Lys 945 950 955 960 Thr Lys Lys Val Lys Glu Val Thr Lys Thr Tyr Glu Val Gln Asn Lys 965 970 975 His Lys Pro Leu Trp Thr Arg Asp Pro Lys Asp Val Thr Lys Glu Glu 980 985 990 Tyr Ala Ala Phe Tyr Lys Ala Ile Ser Asn Asp Trp Glu Asp Pro Ala 995 1000 1005 Ala Thr Lys His Phe Ser Val Glu Gly Gln Leu Glu Phe Arg Ala Ile 1010 1015 1020 Ala Phe Val Pro Lys Arg Ala Pro Phe Asp Met Phe Glu Pro Asn Lys 1025 1030 1035 1040 Lys Arg Asn Asn Ile Lys Leu Tyr Val Arg Arg Val Phe Ile Met Asp 1045 1050 1055 Asn Cys Glu Asp Leu Cys Pro Asp Trp Leu Gly Phe Val Lys Gly Val 1060 1065 1070 Val Asp Ser Glu Asp Leu Pro Leu Asn Ile Ser Arg Glu Asn Leu Gln 1075 1080 1085 Gln Asn Lys Ile Leu Lys Val Ile Arg Lys Asn Ile Val Lys Lys Cys 1090 1095 1100 Leu Glu Leu Phe Glu Glu Ile Ala Glu Asn Lys Glu Asp Tyr Lys Gln 1105 1110 1115 1120 Phe Tyr Glu Gln Phe Gly Lys Asn Ile Lys Leu Gly Ile His Glu Asp 1125 1130 1135 Thr Ala Asn Arg Lys Lys Leu Met Glu Leu Leu Arg Phe Tyr Ser Thr 1140 1145 1150 Glu Ser Gly Glu Glu Met Thr Thr Leu Lys Asp Tyr Val Thr Arg Met 1155 1160 1165 Lys Pro Glu Gln Lys Ser Ile Tyr Tyr Ile Thr Gly Asp Ser Lys Lys 1170 1175 1180 Lys Leu Glu Ser Ser Pro Phe Ile Glu Lys Ala Arg Arg Cys Gly Leu 1185 1190 1195 1200 Glu Val Leu Phe Met Thr Glu Pro Ile Asp Glu Tyr Val Met Gln Gln 1205 1210 1215 Val Lys Asp Phe Glu Asp Lys Lys Phe Ala Cys Leu Thr Lys Glu Gly 1220 1225 1230 Val His Phe Glu Glu Ser Glu Glu Glu Lys Lys Gln Arg Glu Glu Lys 1235 1240 1245 Lys Ala Ala Cys Glu Lys Leu Cys Lys Thr Met Lys Glu Val Leu Gly 1250 1255 1260 Asp Lys Val Glu Lys Val Thr Val Ser Glu Arg Leu Ser Thr Ser Pro 1265 1270 1275 1280 Cys Ile Leu Val Thr Ser Glu Phe Gly Trp Ser Ala His Met Glu Gln 1285 1290 1295 Ile Met Arg Asn Gln Ala Leu Arg Asp Ser Ser Met Ala Gln Tyr Met 1300 1305 1310 Val Ser Lys Lys Thr Met Glu Val Asn Pro Asp His Pro Ile Ile Lys 1315 1320 1325 Glu Leu Arg Arg Arg Val Glu Ala Asp Glu Asn Asp Lys Ala Val Lys 1330 1335 1340 Asp Leu Val Phe Leu Leu Phe Asp Thr Ser Leu Leu Thr Ser Gly Phe 1345 1350 1355 1360 Gln Leu Asp Asp Pro Thr Gly Tyr Ala Glu Arg Ile Asn Arg Met Ile 1365 1370 1375 Lys Leu Gly Leu Ser Leu Asp Glu Glu Glu Glu Glu Val Ala Glu Ala 1380 1385 1390 Pro Pro Ala Glu Ala Ala Pro Ala Glu Val Thr Ala Gly Thr Ser Ser 1395 1400 1405 Met Glu Gln Val Asp Asp Ile His His Thr Gly Gly Arg Ser Ser Arg 1410 1415 1420 Ser Gly Cys 1425 98 4929 DNA Artificial Sequence DNA sequence encoding fusion (poly-protein) constructs comprising multiple Leishmania antigens 98 catatgcacc accaccacca ccacatgtcc tgcggtaacg ccaagatcaa ctctcccgcg 60 ccgtccttcg aggaggtggc gctcatgccc aacggcagct tcaagaagat cagcctctcc 120 tcctacaagg gcaagtgggt cgtgctcttc ttctacccgc tcgacttcac cttcgtgtgc 180 ccgacagagg tcatcgcgtt ctccgacagc gtgagtcgct tcaacgagct caactgcgag 240 gtcctcgcgt gctcgataga cagcgagtac gcgcacctgc agtggacgct gcaggaccgc 300 aagaagggcg gcctcgggac catggcgatc ccaatgctag ccgacaagac caagagcatc 360 gctcgttcct acggcgtgct ggaggagagc cagggcgtgg cctaccgcgg tctcttcatc 420 atcgaccccc atggcatgct gcgtcagatc accgtcaatg acatgccggt gggccgcagc 480 gtggaggagg ttctacgcct gctggaggct tttcagttcg tggagaagca cggcgaggtg 540 tgccccgcga actggaagaa gggcgccccc acgatgaagc cggaaccgaa tgcgtctgtc 600 gagggatact tcagcaagca gggatccatg gacgcaactg agctgaagaa caaggggaac 660 gaagagttct ccgccggccg ctatgtggag gcggtgaact acttctcaaa ggcgatccag 720 ttggatgagc agaacagtgt cctctacagc aaccgctccg cctgttttgc agccatgcag 780 aaatacaagg acgcgctgga cgacgccgac aagtgcatct cgatcaagcc gaattgggcc 840 aagggctacg tgcgccgagg agcagctctc catggcatgc gccgctacga cgatgccatt 900 gccgcgtatg aaaaggggct caaggtggac ccttccaaca gcggctgcgc gcagggcgtg 960 aaggacgtgc aggtagccaa ggcccgcgaa gcacgtgacc ccatcgctcg cgtcttcacc 1020 ccggaggcgt tccgcaagat ccaagagaat cccaagctgt ctctacttat gctgcagccg 1080 gactacgtga agatggtaga caccgtcatc cgcgaccctt cgcagggccg gctgtacatg 1140 gaagaccagc gctttgccct gacgctcatg tacctgagcg gaatgaagat tcccaacgat 1200 ggtgatggcg aggaggagga acgtccgtct gcgaaggcgg cagagacagc gaagccaaaa 1260 gaggagaagc ctctcaccga caacgagaag gaggccctgg cgctcaagga ggagggcaac 1320 aagctgtacc tctcgaagaa gtttgaggag gcgctgacca agtaccaaga ggcgcaggtg 1380 aaagacccca acaacacttt atacattctg aacgtgtcgg ccgtgtactt cgagcagggt 1440 gactacgaca agtgcatcgc cgagtgcgag cacggtatcg agcacggtcg cgagaaccac 1500 tgcgactaca caatcattgc gaagctcatg acccggaacg ccttgtgcct ccagaggcag 1560 aggaagtacg aggctgctat cgacctttac aagcgcgccc ttgtcgagtg gcgtaaccct 1620 gacaccctca agaagctgac ggagtgcgag aaggagcacc aaaaggcggt ggaggaagcc 1680 tacatcgatc ctgagatcgc gaagcagaag aaagacgaag gtaaccagta cttcaaggag 1740 gataagttcc ccgaggccgt ggcagcgtac acggaggcca tcaagcgcaa ccctgccgag 1800 cacacctcct acagcaatcg cgcggccgcg tacatcaagc ttggagcctt caacgacgcc 1860 ctcaaggacg cggagaagtg cattgagctg aagcccgact ttgttaaggg ctacgcgcgc 1920 aagggtcatg cttacttttg gaccaagcag tacaaccgcg cgctgcaggc gtacaatgag 1980 ggcctcaagg tggacccgag caatgcggac tgcaaggatg ggcggtatcg cacaatcatg 2040 aagattcagg agatggcatc tggccaatcc gcggatggcg acgaggcggc gcgccgggcc 2100 atggacgatc ctgaaatcgc ggcaatcatg caagatagct acatgcaact agtgttgaag 2160 gagatgcaga acgatcccac gcgcattcag gagtacatga aggactccgg gatctcatcg 2220 aagatcaaca agctgatttc agctggcatc attcgttttg gtcaggaatt cagcctgacg 2280 gacccggcgg tgctgggcga ggagactcac ctgcgcgtcc gcgtggtgcc ggacaaggcg 2340 aacaagacgc tgacggtgga ggataacggc atcggcatga ccaaggcgga cctcgtgaac 2400 aatctgggca cgatcgcgcg ctccggcacg aaggcgttca tggaggcact ggaggccggc 2460 ggcgacatga gcatgatcgg ccagttcggt gtcggcttct actccgcgta ccttgtggcg 2520 gaccgcgtga cggtggtgtc gaagaacaac tcggacgagg cgtacgtatg ggagtcgtcc 2580 gcgggcggca cgttcaccat cacgagcgtg ccggagtcgg acatgaagcg cggcacgcgc 2640 atcacgctgc acctaaagga ggaccagcag gagtacctgg aggagcgccg ggtgaaggag 2700 ctgatcaaga agcactccga gttcatcggc tacgacatcg agctgatggt ggagaagacg 2760 gcggagaagg aggtgacgga cgaggacgag gaggaggacg agtcgaagaa gaagtcctgc 2820 ggggacgagg gcgagccgaa ggtggaggag gtgacggagg gcggcgagga caagaagaag 2880 aagacgaaga aggtgaagga ggtgacgaag acgtacgagg tccagaacaa gcacaagccg 2940 ctctggacgc gcgacccgaa ggacgtgacg aaggaggagt acgcggcctt ctacaaggcc 3000 atctccaacg actgggagga cccggcggcg acgaagcact tctcggtgga gggccagctg 3060 gagttccgcg cgatcgcgtt cgtgccgaag cgcgcgccgt tcgacatgtt cgagccgaac 3120 aagaagcgca acaacatcaa gctgtacgtg cgccgcgtgt tcatcatgga caactgcgag 3180 gacctgtgcc cggactggct cggcttcgtg aagggcgtcg tggacagcga ggacctgccg 3240 ctgaacatct cgcgcgagaa cctgcagcag aacaagatcc tgaaggtgat ccgcaagaac 3300 atcgtgaaga agtgcctgga gctgttcgaa gagatagcgg agaacaagga ggactacaag 3360 cagttctacg agcagttcgg caagaacatc aagctgggca tccacgagga cacggcgaac 3420 cgcaagaagc tgatggagtt gctgcgcttc tacagcaccg agtcggggga ggagatgacg 3480 acactgaagg actacgtgac gcgcatgaag ccggagcaga agtcgatcta ctacatcact 3540 ggcgacagca agaagaagct ggagtcgtcg ccgttcatcg agaaggcgag acgctgcggg 3600 ctcgaggtgc tgttcatgac ggagccgatc gacgagtacg tgatgcagca ggtgaaggac 3660 ttcgaggaca agaagttcgc gtgcctgacg aaggaaggcg tgcacttcga ggagtccgag 3720 gaggagaaga agcagcgcga ggagaagaag gcggcgtgcg agaagctgtg caagacgatg 3780 aaggaggtgc tgggcgacaa ggtggagaag gtgaccgtgt cggagcgcct gtcgacgtcg 3840 ccgtgcatcc tggtgacgtc ggagtttggg tggtcggcgc acatggaaca gatcatgcgc 3900 aaccaggcgc tgcgcgactc cagcatggcg cagtacatgg tgtccaagaa gacgatggag 3960 gtgaaccccg accaccccat catcaaggag ctgcgccgcc gcgtggaggc ggacgagaac 4020 gacaaggccg tgaaggacct cgtcttcctg ctcttcgaca cgtcgctgct cacgtccggc 4080 ttccagctgg atgaccccac cggctacgcc gagcgcatca accgcatgat caagctcggc 4140 ctgtcgctcg acgaggagga ggaggaggtc gccgaggcgc cgccggccga ggcagccccc 4200 gcggaggtca ccgccggcac ctccagcatg gagcaggtgg acgatatcat ggcgcagaat 4260 gataagatcg ccccccagga ccaggactcc ttcctcgatg accagcccgg cgttcgcccg 4320 atcccgtcct tcgacgacat gccgctgcac cagaacctgc tgcgtggcat ctactcgtac 4380 gggttcgaga agccgtccag catccagcag cgcgcgatag cccccttcac gcgcggcggc 4440 gacatcatcg cgcaggccca gtccggtacc ggcaagacgg gtgccttctc catcggtctg 4500 ctgcagcgcc tggacttccg ccacaacctg atccagggcc tcgtgctctc ccccactcgc 4560 gagctggccc tgcagacggc ggaggtgatc agccgcatcg gtgagttcct gtcgaacagc 4620 tccaagttct gcgagacctt tgtcggcggc acgcgcgtgc aggatgacct gcgcaagctg 4680 caggccggcg tcatcgttgc cgtgggcacg ccgggccgcg tgtccgacgt gatcaagcgt 4740 ggcgcgctgc gcacagagtc gctgcgcgtg ctggtgctcg acgaggctga tgagatgctg 4800 tctcagggct tcgcggacca gatttacgag atcttccgct tcctgccgaa ggacatccag 4860 gtcgcgctct tctccgccac gatgccggag gaggtactgg agctgacgaa gaagttcatg 4920 cgcgactaa 4929 99 4233 DNA Artificial Sequence DNA sequence encoding fusion (poly-protein) constructs comprising multiple Leishmania antigens 99 ccagtgtggt ggatgtcctg cggtaacgcc aagatcaact ctcccgcgcc gtccttcgag 60 gaggtggcgc tcatgcccaa cggcagcttc aagaagatca gcctctcctc ctacaagggc 120 aagtgggtcg tgctcttctt ctacccgctc gacttcacct tcgtgtgccc gacagaggtc 180 atcgcgttct ccgacagcgt gagtcgcttc aacgagctca actgcgaggt cctcgcgtgc 240 tcgatagaca gcgagtacgc gcacctgcag tggacgctgc aggaccgcaa gaagggcggc 300 ctcgggacca tggcgatccc aatgctagcc gacaagacca agagcatcgc tcgttcctac 360 ggcgtgctgg aggagagcca gggcgtggcc taccgcggtc tcttcatcat cgacccccat 420 ggcatgctgc gtcagatcac cgtcaatgac atgccggtgg gccgcagcgt ggaggaggtt 480 ctacgcctgc tggaggcttt tcagttcgtg gagaagcacg gcgaggtgtg ccccgcgaac 540 tggaagaagg gcgcccccac gatgaagccg gaaccgaatg cgtctgtcga gggatacttc 600 agcaagcagg gatccatgga cgcaactgag ctgaagaaca aggggaacga agagttctcc 660 gccggccgct atgtggaggc ggtgaactac ttctcaaagg cgatccagtt ggatgagcag 720 aacagtgtcc tctacagcaa ccgctccgcc tgttttgcag ccatgcagaa atacaaggac 780 gcgctggacg acgccgacaa gtgcatctcg atcaagccga attgggccaa gggctacgtg 840 cgccgaggag cagctctcca tggcatgcgc cgctacgacg atgccattgc cgcgtatgaa 900 aaggggctca aggtggaccc ttccaacagc ggctgcgcgc agggcgtgaa ggacgtgcag 960 gtagccaagg cccgcgaagc acgtgacccc atcgctcgcg tcttcacccc ggaggcgttc 1020 cgcaagatcc aagagaatcc caagctgtct ctacttatgc tgcagccgga ctacgtgaag 1080 atggtagaca ccgtcatccg cgacccttcg cagggccggc tgtacatgga agaccagcgc 1140 tttgccctga cgctcatgta cctgagcgga atgaagattc ccaacgatgg tgatggcgag 1200 gaggaggaac gtccgtctgc gaaggcggca gagacagcga agccaaaaga ggagaagcct 1260 ctcaccgaca acgagaagga ggccctggcg ctcaaggagg agggcaacaa gctgtacctc 1320 tcgaagaagt ttgaggaggc gctgaccaag taccaagagg cgcaggtgaa agaccccaac 1380 aacactttat acattctgaa cgtgtcggcc gtgtacttcg agcagggtga ctacgacaag 1440 tgcatcgccg agtgcgagca cggtatcgag cacggtcgcg agaaccactg cgactacaca 1500 atcattgcga agctcatgac ccggaacgcc ttgtgcctcc agaggcagag gaagtacgag 1560 gctgctatcg acctttacaa gcgcgccctt gtcgagtggc gtaaccctga caccctcaag 1620 aagctgacgg agtgcgagaa ggagcaccaa aaggcggtgg aggaagccta catcgatcct 1680 gagatcgcga agcagaagaa agacgaaggt aaccagtact tcaaggagga taagttcccc 1740 gaggccgtgg cagcgtacac ggaggccatc aagcgcaacc ctgccgagca cacctcctac 1800 agcaatcgcg cggccgcgta catcaagctt ggagccttca acgacgccct caaggacgcg 1860 gagaagtgca ttgagctgaa gcccgacttt gttaagggct acgcgcgcaa gggtcatgct 1920 tacttttgga ccaagcagta caaccgcgcg ctgcaggcgt acaatgaggg cctcaaggtg 1980 gacccgagca atgcggactg caaggatggg cggtatcgca caatcatgaa gattcaggag 2040 atggcatctg gccaatccgc ggatggcgac gaggcggcgc gccgggccat ggacgatcct 2100 gaaatcgcgg caatcatgca agatagctac atgcaactag tgttgaagga gatgcagaac 2160 gatcccacgc gcattcagga gtacatgaag gactccggga tctcatcgaa gatcaacaag 2220 ctgatttcag ctggcatcat tcgttttggt caggaattca gcctgacgga cccggcggtg 2280 ctgggcgagg agactcacct gcgcgtccgc gtggtgccgg acaaggcgaa caagacgctg 2340 acggtggagg ataacggcat cggcatgacc aaggcggacc tcgtgaacaa tctgggcacg 2400 atcgcgcgct ccggcacgaa ggcgttcatg gaggcactgg aggccggcgg cgacatgagc 2460 atgatcggcc agttcggtgt cggcttctac tccgcgtacc ttgtggcgga ccgcgtgacg 2520 gtggtgtcga agaacaactc ggacgaggcg tacgtatggg agtcgtccgc gggcggcacg 2580 ttcaccatca cgagcgtgcc ggagtcggac atgaagcgcg gcacgcgcat cacgctgcac 2640 ctaaaggagg accagcagga gtacctggag gagcgccggg tgaaggagct gatcaagaag 2700 cactccgagt tcatcggcta cgacatcgag ctgatggtgg agaagacggc ggagaaggag 2760 gtgacggacg aggacgagga ggaggacgag tcgaagaaga agtcctgcgg ggacgagggc 2820 gagccgaagg tggaggaggt gacggagggc ggcgaggaca agaagaagaa gacgaagaag 2880 gtgaaggagg tgacgaagac gtacgaggtc cagaacaagc acaagccgct ctggacgcgc 2940 gacccgaagg acgtgacgaa ggaggagtac gcggccttct acaaggccat ctccaacgac 3000 tgggaggacc cggcggcgac gaagcacttc tcggtggagg gccagctgga gttccgcgcg 3060 atcgcgttcg tgccgaagcg cgcgccgttc gacatgttcg agccgaacaa gaagcgcaac 3120 aacatcaagc tgtacgtgcg ccgcgtgttc atcatggaca actgcgagga cctgtgcccg 3180 gactggctcg gcttcgtgaa gggcgtcgtg gacagcgagg acctgccgct gaacatctcg 3240 cgcgagaacc tgcagcagaa caagatcctg aaggtgatcc gcaagaacat cgtgaagaag 3300 tgcctggagc tgttcgaaga gatagcggag aacaaggagg actacaagca gttctacgag 3360 cagttcggca agaacatcaa gctgggcatc cacgaggaca cggcgaaccg caagaagctg 3420 atggagttgc tgcgcttcta cagcaccgag tcgggggagg agatgacgac actgaaggac 3480 tacgtgacgc gcatgaagcc ggagcagaag tcgatctact acatcactgg cgacagcaag 3540 aagaagctgg agtcgtcgcc gttcatcgag aaggcgagac gctgcgggct cgaggtgctg 3600 ttcatgacgg agccgatcga cgagtacgtg atgcagcagg tgaaggactt cgaggacaag 3660 aagttcgcgt gcctgacgaa ggaaggcgtg cacttcgagg agtccgagga ggagaagaag 3720 cagcgcgagg agaagaaggc ggcgtgcgag aagctgtgca agacgatgaa ggaggtgctg 3780 ggcgacaagg tggagaaggt gaccgtgtcg gagcgcctgt cgacgtcgcc gtgcatcctg 3840 gtgacgtcgg agtttgggtg gtcggcgcac atggaacaga tcatgcgcaa ccaggcgctg 3900 cgcgactcca gcatggcgca gtacatggtg tccaagaaga cgatggaggt gaaccccgac 3960 caccccatca tcaaggagct gcgccgccgc gtggaggcgg acgagaacga caaggccgtg 4020 aaggacctcg tcttcctgct cttcgacacg tcgctgctca cgtccggctt ccagctggat 4080 gaccccaccg gctacgccga gcgcatcaac cgcatgatca agctcggcct gtcgctcgac 4140 gaggaggagg aggaggtcgc cgaggcgccg ccggccgagg cagcccccgc ggaggtcacc 4200 gccggcacct ccagcatgga gcaggtggac taa 4233 100 4917 DNA Artificial Sequence DNA sequence encoding fusion (poly-protein) constructs comprising multiple Leishmania antigens 100 ccagtgtggt ggatgtcctg cggtaacgcc aagatcaact ctcccgcgcc gtccttcgag 60 gaggtggcgc tcatgcccaa cggcagcttc aagaagatca gcctctcctc ctacaagggc 120 aagtgggtcg tgctcttctt ctacccgctc gacttcacct tcgtgtgccc gacagaggtc 180 atcgcgttct ccgacagcgt gagtcgcttc aacgagctca actgcgaggt cctcgcgtgc 240 tcgatagaca gcgagtacgc gcacctgcag tggacgctgc aggaccgcaa gaagggcggc 300 ctcgggacca tggcgatccc aatgctagcc gacaagacca agagcatcgc tcgttcctac 360 ggcgtgctgg aggagagcca gggcgtggcc taccgcggtc tcttcatcat cgacccccat 420 ggcatgctgc gtcagatcac cgtcaatgac atgccggtgg gccgcagcgt ggaggaggtt 480 ctacgcctgc tggaggcttt tcagttcgtg gagaagcacg gcgaggtgtg ccccgcgaac 540 tggaagaagg gcgcccccac gatgaagccg gaaccgaatg cgtctgtcga gggatacttc 600 agcaagcagg gatccatgga cgcaactgag ctgaagaaca aggggaacga agagttctcc 660 gccggccgct atgtggaggc ggtgaactac ttctcaaagg cgatccagtt ggatgagcag 720 aacagtgtcc tctacagcaa ccgctccgcc tgttttgcag ccatgcagaa atacaaggac 780 gcgctggacg acgccgacaa gtgcatctcg atcaagccga attgggccaa gggctacgtg 840 cgccgaggag cagctctcca tggcatgcgc cgctacgacg atgccattgc cgcgtatgaa 900 aaggggctca aggtggaccc ttccaacagc ggctgcgcgc agggcgtgaa ggacgtgcag 960 gtagccaagg cccgcgaagc acgtgacccc atcgctcgcg tcttcacccc ggaggcgttc 1020 cgcaagatcc aagagaatcc caagctgtct ctacttatgc tgcagccgga ctacgtgaag 1080 atggtagaca ccgtcatccg cgacccttcg cagggccggc tgtacatgga agaccagcgc 1140 tttgccctga cgctcatgta cctgagcgga atgaagattc ccaacgatgg tgatggcgag 1200 gaggaggaac gtccgtctgc gaaggcggca gagacagcga agccaaaaga ggagaagcct 1260 ctcaccgaca acgagaagga ggccctggcg ctcaaggagg agggcaacaa gctgtacctc 1320 tcgaagaagt ttgaggaggc gctgaccaag taccaagagg cgcaggtgaa agaccccaac 1380 aacactttat acattctgaa cgtgtcggcc gtgtacttcg agcagggtga ctacgacaag 1440 tgcatcgccg agtgcgagca cggtatcgag cacggtcgcg agaaccactg cgactacaca 1500 atcattgcga agctcatgac ccggaacgcc ttgtgcctcc agaggcagag gaagtacgag 1560 gctgctatcg acctttacaa gcgcgccctt gtcgagtggc gtaaccctga caccctcaag 1620 aagctgacgg agtgcgagaa ggagcaccaa aaggcggtgg aggaagccta catcgatcct 1680 gagatcgcga agcagaagaa agacgaaggt aaccagtact tcaaggagga taagttcccc 1740 gaggccgtgg cagcgtacac ggaggccatc aagcgcaacc ctgccgagca cacctcctac 1800 agcaatcgcg cggccgcgta catcaagctt ggagccttca acgacgccct caaggacgcg 1860 gagaagtgca ttgagctgaa gcccgacttt gttaagggct acgcgcgcaa gggtcatgct 1920 tacttttgga ccaagcagta caaccgcgcg ctgcaggcgt acaatgaggg cctcaaggtg 1980 gacccgagca atgcggactg caaggatggg cggtatcgca caatcatgaa gattcaggag 2040 atggcatctg gccaatccgc ggatggcgac gaggcggcgc gccgggccat ggacgatcct 2100 gaaatcgcgg caatcatgca agatagctac atgcaactag tgttgaagga gatgcagaac 2160 gatcccacgc gcattcagga gtacatgaag gactccggga tctcatcgaa gatcaacaag 2220 ctgatttcag ctggcatcat tcgttttggt caggaattca gcctgacgga cccggcggtg 2280 ctgggcgagg agactcacct gcgcgtccgc gtggtgccgg acaaggcgaa caagacgctg 2340 acggtggagg ataacggcat cggcatgacc aaggcggacc tcgtgaacaa tctgggcacg 2400 atcgcgcgct ccggcacgaa ggcgttcatg gaggcactgg aggccggcgg cgacatgagc 2460 atgatcggcc agttcggtgt cggcttctac tccgcgtacc ttgtggcgga ccgcgtgacg 2520 gtggtgtcga agaacaactc ggacgaggcg tacgtatggg agtcgtccgc gggcggcacg 2580 ttcaccatca cgagcgtgcc ggagtcggac atgaagcgcg gcacgcgcat cacgctgcac 2640 ctaaaggagg accagcagga gtacctggag gagcgccggg tgaaggagct gatcaagaag 2700 cactccgagt tcatcggcta cgacatcgag ctgatggtgg agaagacggc ggagaaggag 2760 gtgacggacg aggacgagga ggaggacgag tcgaagaaga agtcctgcgg ggacgagggc 2820 gagccgaagg tggaggaggt gacggagggc ggcgaggaca agaagaagaa gacgaagaag 2880 gtgaaggagg tgacgaagac gtacgaggtc cagaacaagc acaagccgct ctggacgcgc 2940 gacccgaagg acgtgacgaa ggaggagtac gcggccttct acaaggccat ctccaacgac 3000 tgggaggacc cggcggcgac gaagcacttc tcggtggagg gccagctgga gttccgcgcg 3060 atcgcgttcg tgccgaagcg cgcgccgttc gacatgttcg agccgaacaa gaagcgcaac 3120 aacatcaagc tgtacgtgcg ccgcgtgttc atcatggaca actgcgagga cctgtgcccg 3180 gactggctcg gcttcgtgaa gggcgtcgtg gacagcgagg acctgccgct gaacatctcg 3240 cgcgagaacc tgcagcagaa caagatcctg aaggtgatcc gcaagaacat cgtgaagaag 3300 tgcctggagc tgttcgaaga gatagcggag aacaaggagg actacaagca gttctacgag 3360 cagttcggca agaacatcaa gctgggcatc cacgaggaca cggcgaaccg caagaagctg 3420 atggagttgc tgcgcttcta cagcaccgag tcgggggagg agatgacgac actgaaggac 3480 tacgtgacgc gcatgaagcc ggagcagaag tcgatctact acatcactgg cgacagcaag 3540 aagaagctgg agtcgtcgcc gttcatcgag aaggcgagac gctgcgggct cgaggtgctg 3600 ttcatgacgg agccgatcga cgagtacgtg atgcagcagg tgaaggactt cgaggacaag 3660 aagttcgcgt gcctgacgaa ggaaggcgtg cacttcgagg agtccgagga ggagaagaag 3720 cagcgcgagg agaagaaggc ggcgtgcgag aagctgtgca agacgatgaa ggaggtgctg 3780 ggcgacaagg tggagaaggt gaccgtgtcg gagcgcctgt cgacgtcgcc gtgcatcctg 3840 gtgacgtcgg agtttgggtg gtcggcgcac atggaacaga tcatgcgcaa ccaggcgctg 3900 cgcgactcca gcatggcgca gtacatggtg tccaagaaga cgatggaggt gaaccccgac 3960 caccccatca tcaaggagct gcgccgccgc gtggaggcgg acgagaacga caaggccgtg 4020 aaggacctcg tcttcctgct cttcgacacg tcgctgctca cgtccggctt ccagctggat 4080 gaccccaccg gctacgccga gcgcatcaac cgcatgatca agctcggcct gtcgctcgac 4140 gaggaggagg aggaggtcgc cgaggcgccg ccggccgagg cagcccccgc ggaggtcacc 4200 gccggcacct ccagcatgga gcaggtggac gatatcatgg cgcagaatga taagatcgcc 4260 ccccaggacc aggactcctt cctcgatgac cagcccggcg ttcgcccgat cccgtccttc 4320 gacgacatgc cgctgcacca gaacctgctg cgtggcatct actcgtacgg gttcgagaag 4380 ccgtccagca tccagcagcg cgcgatagcc cccttcacgc gcggcggcga catcatcgcg 4440 caggcccagt ccggtaccgg caagacgggt gccttctcca tcggtctgct gcagcgcctg 4500 gacttccgcc acaacctgat ccagggcctc gtgctctccc ccactcgcga gctggccctg 4560 cagacggcgg aggtgatcag ccgcatcggt gagttcctgt cgaacagctc caagttctgc 4620 gagacctttg tcggcggcac gcgcgtgcag gatgacctgc gcaagctgca ggccggcgtc 4680 atcgttgccg tgggcacgcc gggccgcgtg tccgacgtga tcaagcgtgg cgcgctgcgc 4740 acagagtcgc tgcgcgtgct ggtgctcgac gaggctgatg agatgctgtc tcagggcttc 4800 gcggaccaga tttacgagat cttccgcttc ctgccgaagg acatccaggt cgcgctcttc 4860 tccgccacga tgccggagga ggtactggag ctgacgaaga agttcatgcg cgactaa 4917 101 2735 DNA Artificial Sequence DNA sequence encoding fusion (poly-protein) constructs comprising multiple Leishmania antigens 101 catatgcacc accaccacca ccacatgtcc tgcggtaacg ccaagatcaa ctctcccgcg 60 ccgtccttcg aggaggtggc gctcatgccc aacggcagct tcaagaagat cagcctctcc 120 tcctacaagg gcaagtgggt cgtgctcttc ttctacccgc tcgacttcac cttcgtgtgc 180 ccgacagagg tcatcgcgtt ctccgacagc gtgagtcgct tcaacgagct caactgcgag 240 gtcctcgcgt gctcgataga cagcgagtac gcgcacctgc agtggacgct gcaggaccgc 300 aagaagggcg gcctcgggac catggcgatc ccaatgctag ccgacaagac caagagcatc 360 gctcgttcct acggcgtgct ggaggagagc cagggcgtgg cctaccgcgg tctcttcatc 420 atcgaccccc atggcatgct gcgtcagatc accgtcaatg acatgccggt gggccgcagc 480 gtggaggagg ttctacgcct gctggaggct tttcagttcg tggagaagca cggcgaggtg 540 tgccccgcga actggaagaa gggcgccccc acgatgaagc cggaaccgaa tgcgtctgtc 600 gagggatact tcagcaagca gggatccatg gacgcaactg agctgaagaa caaggggaac 660 gaagagttct ccgccggccg ctatgtggag gcggtgaact acttctcaaa ggcgatccag 720 ttggatgagc agaacagtgt cctctacagc aaccgctccg cctgttttgc agccatgcag 780 aaatacaagg acgcgctgga cgacgccgac aagtgcatct cgatcaagcc gaattgggcc 840 aagggctacg tgcgccgagg agcagctctc catggcatgc gccgctacga cgatgccatt 900 gccgcgtatg aaaaggggct caaggtggac ccttccaaca gcggctgcgc gcagggcgtg 960 aaggacgtgc aggtagccaa ggcccgcgaa gcacgtgacc ccatcgctcg cgtcttcacc 1020 ccggaggcgt tccgcaagat ccaagagaat cccaagctgt ctctacttat gctgcagccg 1080 gactacgtga agatggtaga caccgtcatc cgcgaccctt cgcagggccg gctgtacatg 1140 gaagaccagc gctttgccct gacgctcatg tacctgagcg gaatgaagat tcccaacgat 1200 ggtgatggcg aggaggagga acgtccgtct gcgaaggcgg cagagacagc gaagccaaaa 1260 gaggagaagc ctctcaccga caacgagaag gaggccctgg cgctcaagga ggagggcaac 1320 aagctgtacc tctcgaagaa gtttgaggag gcgctgacca agtaccaaga ggcgcaggtg 1380 aaagacccca acaacacttt atacattctg aacgtgtcgg ccgtgtactt cgagcagggt 1440 gactacgaca agtgcatcgc cgagtgcgag cacggtatcg agcacggtcg cgagaaccac 1500 tgcgactaca caatcattgc gaagctcatg acccggaacg ccttgtgcct ccagaggcag 1560 aggaagtacg aggctgctat cgacctttac aagcgcgccc ttgtcgagtg gcgtaaccct 1620 gacaccctca agaagctgac ggagtgcgag aaggagcacc aaaaggcggt ggaggaagcc 1680 tacatcgatc ctgagatcgc gaagcagaag aaagacgaag gtaaccagta cttcaaggag 1740 gataagttcc ccgaggccgt ggcagcgtac acggaggcca tcaagcgcaa ccctgccgag 1800 cacacctcct acagcaatcg cgcggccgcg tacatcaagc ttggagcctt caacgacgcc 1860 ctcaaggacg cggagaagtg cattgagctg aagcccgact ttgttaaggg ctacgcgcgc 1920 aagggtcatg cttacttttg gaccaagcag tacaaccgcg cgctgcaggc gtacaatgag 1980 ggcctcaagg tggacccgag caatgcggac tgcaaggatg ggcggtatcg cacaatcatg 2040 aagattcagg agatggcatc tggccaatcc gcggatggcg acgaggcggc gcgccgggcc 2100 atggacgatc ctgaaatcgc ggcaatcatg caagatagct acatgcaact agtgttgaag 2160 gagatgcaga acgatcccac gcgcattcag gagtacatga aggactccgg gatctcatcg 2220 aagatcaaca agctgatttc agctggcatc attcgttttg gtcaggaatt ctgcagatat 2280 ccatcacact ggcggccgct cgagcagatc cggctgctaa caaagcccga aaggaagctg 2340 agttggctgc tgccaccgct gagcaataac tagcataacc ccttggggcc tctaaacggg 2400 tcttgagggg ttttttgctg aaaggaggaa ctatatccgg ataattcttg aagacgaaag 2460 ggcctcgtga tacgcctatt tttataggtt aatgtcatga taataatggt ttcttagacg 2520 tcaggtggca cttttcgggg aaatgtgcgc ggaaccccta tttggttatt tttctaaata 2580 cattcaaata tgtatccgct catgagacaa taacccytga taaatgcttc aataatattg 2640 aaaaaaggaa gaatatgaag tatttcaaca tttcccgggt cccccttatt cccttttttt 2700 gccgccattt tgcctttctg tttttggttc accca 2735 

We claim:
 1. A fusion protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
 95. 2. An immunogenic composition comprising the fusion protein according to claim 1 and an immunostimulant.
 3. The immunogenic composition of claim 2, wherein the immunostimulant is a monophosphoryl lipid A.
 4. A fusion protein comprising the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 96 and
 97. 5. An immunogenic composition comprising the fusion protein according to claim 4 and an immunostimulant.
 6. A fusion protein comprising the amino acid sequence encoded by the polynucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 94 and
 98. 7. An immunogenic composition comprising the fusion protein according to claim 6 and an immunostimulant. 